On my bike ride past London’s South Bank on Monday morning, I caught sight of all the iconic riverside landmarks, from the Shard to St Paul’s Cathedral. One view, however, looked dramatically different. ITV had placed 84 statues across their buildings, which I first confused for a hostage situation. The statues are for Project 84 to raise awareness about the 84 men who die from suicide every week. To give you some perspective: government data states there are fewer than 40 deaths involving motor vehicles every week. It’s lamentable to think how little money is spent on preventing unnecessary deaths from suicide, given how much money is spent on trying to improve road safety.
Hats off to the team at adam&eve for thinking up the idea. The stunt has since gained worldwide media coverage. It will get people talking about something we don’t like to talk about. A purposeful idea to make the invisible visible.
This is the British communications industry at its best.
