In 2017, a scientific study provided definitive proof that the human body contains 97% of the elements found in the galaxy, proving that we are indeed made of stardust.
The stardust contained in humans is as old as the universe itself. That’s quite a remarkable foundation for a campaign for Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) new exhibition, Kent Monkman: Being Legendary. We Are Made of Stardust is the evocative new campaign from Toronto agency, Broken Heart Love Affair created to support the exhibition.
Being Legendary tells the story of Turtle Island from the beginning of time to the present day, as seen through the eyes of the artist’s gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. Juxtaposed with fossils, a meteorite and intricately beaded moccasins selected carefully by the artist from the Museum, the new body of work is designed to ask important questions about how collections in museums are curated and presented in the 21st Century.
“Given full access to the Museum and full licence to realise his artistic vision, Kent Monkman’s Being Legendary offers visitors the chance to see an exhibition of visually stunning artworks that were created in response to the collections housed in ROM,” stated Lori Davison, ROM chief marketing & communications officer. “Being Legendary is emotionally complex and at times disturbing, but the show intentionally builds toward a sparkling optimism. We wanted the campaign creative to convey a similar emotional crescendo.”
The accompanying campaign picked out a key phrase from the exhibition, We Are Made of Stardust, using Monkman’s large-scale and highly detailed work as the basis for its creative approach and showing how the power of Indigenous peoples lives on through stories, art, and song. The campaign was developed with extensive input from Indigenous talent both in front and behind the camera. It contains posters and a mural featuring paint made by Manitoulin Island paint maker Anong Migwans Beam using the dust from a meteorite that was crushed by the museum’s rock crusher. These campaign elements are literally made of stardust.
An accompanying film traces the origin story of Miss Chief and illustrates how the out of home elements were created. The film begins with a pink comet hurtling through space towards Earth, before it crashes to the ground with a momentous boom. The meteorite is discovered by a young Indigenous girl, who turns it into paint that she uses to create a series of posters bearing the message, We are made of stardust.
The spot was filmed by Haudenosaunee director Shaunoh, who worked closely with BHLA’s chief creative officers, Craig McIntosh and Jaimes Zentil, to develop a creative approach designed to evoke childlike innocence, curiosity, and intrigue.
“The childlike awe is what we want people to take away from both the campaign and the exhibition,” McIntosh commented. “We also wanted the video to be distinct from Kent Monkman’s new body of work, while at the same time echoing some its themes.”
“We’re announcing the arrival of one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year,” added Zentil. “Kent Monkman’s paintings are massive in scale, hyper-realised and detailed. Like a comet, his artwork makes a huge impact, so we leaned into that concept for the campaign.”
According to Zentil, the use of the word “we” in the campaign is deliberately all inclusive, conveying that it’s open to everyone to enjoy and experience. Admission to the exhibition is free with general admission to ROM. Indigenous visitors always receive free general admission, while post-secondary students receive free admission on Tuesdays.
Credits:
Client: ROM (Kent Monkman: Being Legendary exhbition)
Chief Marketing Officer: Lori Davison
VP, Brand and Marketing: Kathryn Brownlie
Marketing Leads: Emily Wright & Katlyn Olo
VP, Communications: Sally Tindal
Agency: Broken Heart Love Affair
Chief Creative Officers: Craig McIntosh, Jaimes Zentil
Integrated Producer: Demi Veselinovic
VP, Client Success: Joline Matika
Director of Client Success: Carlos Game-Garcia
Junior Producer: Olivia Cousineau
Content and Production Agency: Lifelong Crush
Paint Maker: Anong Migwans Beam
Production Companies: TSU North and Circle Productions
Director: Shaunoh
Director of Photography: Shaunoh
Executive Producers: Karen Tameanko, Maggie Wilson
Line Producer: John Scarth
Editorial: Saints
Editor: Stephen Sora
Executive Producers: Mackenzie Goodwin & Michelle Rich
Assistant Editor: Mathew White
Transfer & Online: Alter Ego
Colourist: Wade Odlum
VFX Artist: Darren Achim
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira
Producer: Mariya Guzova
Audio: Berkeley
Engineer: Jared Kuemper
Executive Producer: Tyna Maerzke
Music Composed by: Cris Derksen
Vocals: Rebecca Benson and Cris Derksen
Throat Singing: Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory
Talent: Tayanna Soloway
Media Agency: OMD
