Art in the workplace: initiatives at Les Gicleurs Acme (“ACME”)
Art can be expressed and bring benefits in unusual places… like in a sprinkler and fire pump installation company, for example!
To mark the arrival of the third generation at the helm of the family business, to stand out with originality and modernity, and to add a welcome touch of color to everyday life, Acme decided to entrust its offices to two artists from the MU group.
The result? An interior fresco that shows that art in the workplace is definitely an initiative that does good!
Dan Buller and Edward Maloney from the MU group in front of the work created at Les Gicleurs Acme
Art in business: seeking coherence in representation
For over 60 years, Les Gicleurs Acme has aimed to protect businesses and homes against fire. Always in action, the dynamic family business works to share its knowledge and passion for protecting lives and property with the next generation.
Passing on know-how is indeed essential to the sustainability of a business, all entrepreneurs will tell you. But developing an inspiring, motivating work environment that is in line with our society is also essential. And the third generation at the helm of Acme has understood this well.
Yes, but how do you do it? The challenge is to be where you are not expected, and to make a difference that goes beyond the company’s technical mission. In this desire to modernize the brand image, to stand out in the field and to be socially involved, the creation of an interior mural within the firm’s offices quickly became obvious.
Artists au travail chez Les Gicleurs Acme
That’s how Dan Buller and Edward Maloney from MU – a charitable organization working to disseminate mural art in public and business spaces – were approached for this mandate. Their biggest challenge? Capturing the essence of the company, while promoting its values and services!
From the choice of colours to that of the pattern, including the design, the artists respected the keywords of the specifications: stimulating, contemporary, water and fire.
The final work is therefore structured around lines with rounded corners, with a central element, a red shape, representing a pipe, the emblem par excellence of the industry. Around it, other shapes of similar appearances are intertwined in bright shades of blue and turquoise, the intermingling of the two recalling the combination of fire and water. This tangle with bold pop accents manages to inscribe the company in a more current vision, without distorting its reason for being and serving.
The artists with part of the Gicleurs Acme team
An unexpected scope
In addition to bringing an innovative touch of color, this mural is intended to remain accessible and open to interpretation.
The links and connections it suggests demonstrate that management wants a team that is united among its members and around shared objectives. From this pooling of forces, a stimulation of informal exchanges and interactions and the consolidation of the collective will emerge.
And on a daily basis, how is art experienced in business? In a very positive way! In addition to the proud highlighting of their values through a modern approach, employees benefit from an avant-garde atmosphere for the sector, both original and inspiring. The renewal of the work environment is a definite improvement, because in addition to breaking the monotony, it creates a motivating environment oriented towards constructive communication with colleagues, partners and suppliers.
And the adventure does not seem to end here for ACME. The management team has just commissioned an artist to create a sculpture whose components can only come from scraps of construction site materials. The project carries a message about the importance of the circular economy and responsible management of construction sites. Stay tuned!
Which shows that when art is invited into a company, openness, creativity and safety can form an unexpected and enriching alliance.