Uncle Grey Denmark

Assignment details & background information

According to the Danish National Health Research, the mental well-being of young people in Denmark is under pressure and it has only been getting worse in the recent years. Today, 44% of Danish youth feel burnt out. After this research was completed, a national campaign was launched in Denmark to draw attention to the mental health issues the young people are facing, aiming at making the youth happier and preventing burnouts.

The Mental Health Day was introduced in Danish schools on March 9, 2023. In order to give the Mental Health Day extra attention and publicity, massive life-sized candles shaped like people appeared and were lit in major cities in Denmark. They symbolize the consequences of doing nothing to improve mental health: if nothing changes, all young people will literally burn out. The candles weigh 85 kilos each and take up to two months to burn down completely.

To present five of those life-sized candles beautifully and powerfully, Uncle Grey, one of the world’s biggest and most successful marketing agencies, approached Solits. We immediately started working on this cool assignment after an inspiring meeting with Uncle Grey’s team.

Execution

The result were 5 outdoor display lanterns. Our black outdoor plinths are at he base of the lanterns. The plinths needed protection from the hot melting wax, and we came up with the idea of black metal trays for them. Acrylic lantern cases and black aluminum lids on the top ensured that candles are well- protected against all kinds of weather conditions, they can burn safely and they also look spectacular. These impressive displays containing life-sized candles are impossible to miss when you come across them:

- 5 black outdoor plinth made of 8 mm satin plexiglass: 100(L) x 100(W) x 15(H) cm - 5 black powder-coated aluminum trays to collect melting wax: 98.6(L) x 98.6(W) x 10(H) cm - 5 four-sided acrylic cases made of 6 mm acryl: 100(L) x 100(W) x 200(H) cm - 5 aluminum lids, powder-coated in black, with a cross setting: 102(L) x 102(W) cm. By using a U-profile frame and spacers (3 cm), the lids fall over the acrylic case in such a way that warm air from the burning candles can easily escape .

We are happy with the end result and hope that we were also able to make a small contribution into improving the mental health of the Danish youth.