Editorial

The art of PR?

All the usual things happened at the recently concluded Team Leaders’ off-site. By that I mean presentations, discussions, minor arguments and drawn out debates, not to mention the impromptu song and dance sessions in the evenings – well within striking distance of a well-stocked bar. But there was one other activity that bordered perhaps on the unusual. With business as usual by day, our seasoned PR and advertising pros turned artists by night. Yes, artists, who wield paints and oils and brushes to capture life in all its myriad complexities. The idea was to create a single full-length painting with inputs from everybody. The brief given to everyone was to not think too much but to try and be as spontaneous as possible. However, to keep it from becoming a complete freewheeling exercise, all participants were given a common theme: ’Blue Lotus’.

A large canvas was divided into fragments, each team leader being apportioned one to artistically interpret Blue Lotus. Bishi, the only certified artist in the entire group, moderated the entire exercise. The results surprised everyone, including the participants. Personally, it reminded me of a workshop that was conducted in Mumbai a few years ago when a group of kids, randomly selected and who’d never before handled a camera, were first instructed on how to operate one, then asked to venture out into the city and shoot whatever took their fancy. The results, as in the case above, were quite incredible. I know because I happened to see the photographs when they were later reproduced in a popular city magazine. They revealed intelligence, insight and refined artistic sensibilities – extraordinary, given that the photographers were all barely into their teens.

It just goes to show that all of us have a latent ability for creative expression. All we require to bring it to the fore is the right stimulus. Having an accomplished artist like Bishi in your midst must also help.

We’ve reproduced the painting below. Take a good, long hard look at it. What do you think? Do the pictures reveal anything to you? Archana has taken the pains to review each fragment of art. You can read her observations here and see if they match your own. And in case you want to see the real thing, just take the staircase to the fourth floor.