The Great Volkswagen Art Heist

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But if Volkswagen Canada has their say, beauty will be in the hand of the person who’s stealing it. At least that’s the idea behind an ongoing out-of-home campaign celebrating the launch of the turbocharged 2012 Jetta GLI.

Beginning in October, pop-up “Performance Art” galleries began to appear in major cities across Canada. The outdoor exhibits feature limited edition, hand-numbered, framed long-exposure light painting photographs created by the 200-horsepower Jetta GLI. While the frames have been hung for all to admire, they haven’t been hung that securely, allowing more daring admirers to claim the artwork for themselves. Thieves are being asked to share their steals, and Volkswagen Canada’s Facebook page has already received numerous photos from fans decorating homes and offices with the eye-catching imagery.

 “The idea for the entire GLI campaign was ‘Driving can be beautiful.’ And from what we‘ve already seen, it’s beautiful enough for people to plunder for their living room wall,” observed Steve Carli, President of Red Urban Canada.

The photographs were taken as part of an integrated campaign for the All-New Jetta GLI, which employed an innovative filming technique, using both a motion and a long exposure stills camera, to record the light trails of the vehicle as it streaked through the night. The resulting 30-second television commercial pairs together the high-speed maneuvering of the Jetta GLI with the long-exposure photographs of the resulting light trails, captured from the exact same angle, for a mesmerizing and authentic performance.

Those who haven’t been fortunate enough, or fast enough, to get their hands on a piece of the Jetta GLI’s performance should stay vigilant. Volkswagen Canada has revealed that a second phase of the Art Heist is rolling out in the coming weeks that will take the hunt online and into social media. They also made it clear that potential art thieves will have to act even faster this next time around. 
(thanks Shannon)

Credits:

Agency: Red Urban Canada
Creative Director: Christina Yu
Art Director: Joel Pylypiw
Copywriter: Dave Barber
Agency Producer: Andrea Hull
Account Supervisor: Sonia Ruckemann
Print Production: Ad Rules

Production Company: Untitled Films
Director: Hubert Davis
“Art Heist” Video Director/Editor: Tyler Williams
Executive Producer: Lexy Kavluk
Line Producer: Tuula Hopp
Director of Photography: Adam Marsden

Editing House: Rooster Post
Editor: Dave De Carlo

Sound and Music: Eggplant
Music Producer: Adam Damelin

Post Production: The Vanity
Compositor: Naveen Srivastava