Paper company GF Smith conducted a global survey with thousands of people spanning 100 countries worldwide voting for their ‘most-loved colour’ from public submissions. The winner? ‘Marrs Green’, a teal-ish hue suggested by Dundee-based Annie Marrs who works for the city’s UNESCO City of Design + Place Partnership. GF Smith has temporarily added the colour to its Colourplan paper range.

The winning colour was announced via a cascade of paper helicopters over Humber Street in Hull (see above),which tied in with GF Smith’s activities as part of Hull City of Culture (the company was founded in Hull in 1885). In addition, a pop-up shop will sell a range of British products, specially customised in the colour. Tokyo Bike, Anglepoise, Sunspel, Cambridge Satchel Company, H Furniture, Richard Brendon and Plain Pins have all contributed products to the shop chill will be transferred to GF Smith’s London Show Space from July 12.

The pop-up shop runs alongside GF Smith’s Paper City exhibition in which eight artists and designers, including Adam Holloway, Made Thought, Jacqueline Poncelet and Richard Woods, have created installations using paper. The works will be on display until July 9 in Hull’s Fruitmarket as part of Look Up, a year-long programme of public art in the city.

Made Thought’s piece, Fabric of Hull, is a 9-metre long tapestry of interwoven paper strips symbolising the relationship between the company and the city. It uses all the colours of the Colourplan range and was handwoven in Hull by GF Smith employees.

Lazerian’s piece references the cod, once caught by Hull’s trawler men in the hundreds of thousands. During the show, Lazerian will be making portions of paper cod and chips for visitors.

Adam Holloway Architects’ Apeiron Flow uses an algorithm to create a fluid sculptural form while Jacqueline Poncelet’s Island Life is an intricate installations stretching across the gallery floor.

 

See all the work and more details on the show here