• by Larissa Faw , October 1, 2014

180LA has gone Hollywood. The ad agency has created an untraditional out-of-home installation to promote "Hollywood Costumes,” an exhibit from 180LA’s client, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 

In order to support the experience's Los Angeles debut, 180LA has teamed with multimedia artist Jum Nakao to transform the script of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” into a paper dress and headpiece fashioned after the iconic blue ballroom gown worn by actress Kirsten Dunst and created by Oscar-winning costume designer Milena Canonero.

"We weren’t just building something, we were creating art," says Stephen Larkin, Chief Marketing Officer, 180LA. "We had to find the right artist to bring the script to life. Meanwhile, there's only a few people on the planet that excel in paper artistry. After extensive research, we were lucky enough to partner with renowned multi-media artist, Jum Nakao, based in Brazil. We flew Jum to an amazing loft in Los Angeles that was bright and white that could act as a blank canvas where Jum could create. It was incredible because at the end of the week we had something that was artful and beautiful. In terms of timing, it took Jum about eight days. Incredibly, there was nothing unexpected or unforeseen that happened." 

The Nakao installation will land at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, next door to the Hollywood Costumes exhibit on Oct. 2.

At the same time, an online film, “Words Into Characters,” shows the time-lapse creation process with the artist. “We’ve never done an out-of-home ad quite like this before,” says William Gelner, Chief Creative Officer of 180LA. “We wanted to capture the spirit of costume design but in a totally unique way. To be able to walk up and actually see the script turned into a character makes the art of costume design really tangible for people.” 

180LA has been working with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science for a little more than a year. The agency's responsibilities include strategy, advertising, rebranding, and design.