Digital Conqueror - Logo
Search
Close this search box.

Zippo and Street Artist Ben Eine Create 17,500 Square Meter Mural in East London

>
<
  • ZippoZippo X Ben Eine Infographic
  • ZippoZippo X Ben Eine Key Campaign

 


Zippo and acclaimed street artist Ben Eine today unveiled a huge 17,500 square meter mural. Depicting the word “CREATE” the artwork came to life on a truly unconventional canvas: a sparse, industrial ground space in East London spanning 17,500 square meters. 
 
A new video entitled An Unconventional Canvas reveals the enormous artwork and is available to view from today on the brand’s social channels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9WveHQDeno. The compelling video captures Eine taking on his biggest, most unpredictable, project to date and highlights the challenging path to create a large scale painting on the ground. With the epic feat only entirely viewable from great heights, Zippo and Eine secured satellite footage and used the power of drones to capture the creative journey.  

The huge artwork required 2,850 litres of recycled paint, a 200-litre bathtub for mixing, 18-inch wide rollers and a team of 30 supporting volunteers and six artists. Due to the sheer scale of the piece, Eine could only check the progress of the artwork with the use of drone footage.
 
Co-founder and CEO of Global Street Art, Lee Bofkin, comments: “The last decade has seen an explosion in the number of street art murals around the world. We’ve helped organise nearly 2,000 murals because we, like so many others, passionately believe in the power of a unique canvas. Painting on the ground at scale is extremely challenging and this mural truly sets a new standard for scale and skill.”
 
A master of messages, Eine is famous for the large, colourful letters and phrases he paints onto city streets across the globe. For this latest piece, he painted the word ‘CREATE’, a nod to self-expression, and the Zippo brand mission to celebrate art in all its forms.
 
Ben Eine commented: “I love to paint and beautify the most unexpected of places – I’ve painted everything from doorways to trains but have always wanted to do something really huge and different. Painting on the ground was a cool challenge because you can’t just stand back and see what you’re doing. We used drones, string and all sorts to make sure it looked how I imagined, and check that it was spelt right! Seeing the final satellite footage was amazing, I got to create a unique stamp on my home town – a pretty awesome achievement”.
 
Months in the making, and live for an indefinite time, the artwork serves as a stark reminder of the transient nature of street art. The collaboration will culminate in the permanent capture of the momentous work on a limited edition Zippo windproof lighter – a canvas that lasts a lifetime. Still backed by its world famous lifetime guarantee, own a piece of a piece of street art history forever with the limited edition lighter available from http://www.zippo.in/.
 
Lucas Johnson, Global Brand Manager at Zippo, said: “Zippo lighters have long served as a canvas for art. Our lighter designs are ever changing and have earned us an enthusiastic collector base across the world. By capturing Ben’s most challenging work on an iconic windproof lighter we continue to shine a light on unconventional art and celebrate creativity in all its forms”. 
 
For 85 years, Zippo has brought unmatched levels of artistic talent to the smallest of canvases – from the early years of etching and hand-painted details to today’s cutting edge 360 MultiCut engraving process. With more than 300,000 designs created since 1932, the Zippo X Ben Eine partnership marks another move by the brand to showcase the diversity of their windproof lighter range.
 
Zippo and Ben Eine meticulously recorded all elements of the artwork and welcome global record bodies to officiate the feat.
 
Zippo will release behind the scenes content and exclusive imagery across their social channels over the coming weeks. Follow the creative journey of Zippo X Ben Eine on Facebook (@Zippo), Instagram (@OriginalZippo) and Twitter (@Zippo).
 
NOTES TO EDITORS
 
KEY FACTS:

  • Ben Eine used 2,850 litres of recycled paint from the Forest Recycling Project. This amounts to four tonnes of paint– heavier than a fully-grown hippo
  • The paint was delivered in over 20 barrels each holding 150 litres
  • The paint was mixed in a 200-litre bathtub. The mixing of all the colours took 48 hours

About Zippo

One of the most recognized brands in the world, Zippo was founded in the fall of 1932 by George G. Blaisdell in Bradford, Pennsylvania, where it has manufactured over 550 million windproof lighters. With the exception of improvements to the flint wheel and modifications in case finishes, the product remains unchanged and is backed by the company’s famous lifetime guarantee – “It works, or we fix it free.™” Zippo’s diverse product line includes lighters and accessories; butane candle lighters; fragrance, and a robust line of heat and flame products for outdoor enthusiasts. Zippo markets in over 180 countries, and owns Bradford-based W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Company and the Ronson family of brands. For more information, visit zippo.com.
 
About Ben Eine

Born in London, Ben Eine is one of the most successful street artists in the world and is regarded as a pioneer in the exploration of graffitti letterforms. Originally a writer, Eine started his career over 25 years ago, leaving his first tag all over London before developing his distinct typographic style. Eine’s aim was to point out that street art is distinct from graffiti. He believed “street artists want to add something to the environment.
 
Creative Wick

Creative Wick is a social enterprise that is working to establish a permanent, sustainable, creative economy for local residents, businesses and institutions with an interest in the long-term viability and continued authenticity of the arts, culture and creativity in Hackney Wick, Fish Island and the wider East London area.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn