YOUNG WORLD FACES OF PAN AM • TORONTO PAN AMERICAN GAMES
CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE (CIBC) AND THE PATH
Forty-One 7ft Tall Backlit Portraits
Client: CIBC, Great West Life and The Pan American Games Organizing Committee.
Services Provided: Creative Direction, Photography, Experiential Activation Design, Print Production, Exposition Installation, Image Licensing.
Built by legendary architect I.M. Pei of Louvre fame, the national headquarters of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) foyer is open to the public 24 hours a day. Combined with the massive workforce in the tower above and the popularity of Canada’s largest sporting event in history, this exposition was viewed by 7000 people daily for nearly 2 months. Downstairs from the installation, another experience was installed at Compass at the center of The Path, the world's largest underground shopping complex.
The art of YOUNG WORLD FACES became the landing pages of all 41 participating nations on the Toronto Pan American Games Website.
In addition to the physical presence of the large-scale fine art installation in Commerce Court West, YOUNG WORLD FACES truly cemented its stamp as the literal Face of the Games when organizers negotiated a deal with Robert Young to further utilize his signature art series as part of their overall marketing of the games.
YOUNG WORLD FACES would grace the landing page of all 41 nations on the Pan American Games Website, become the Cover Art for the Games Spectator Guide, the signature art on display at the national media launch, and a 41 day countdown on twitter showcasing the Face of a different nation each day would be topped with an animated GIF that would produce over one million impressions during the Parade of Nations broadcast on the Opening Day of the Games.
YOUNG WORLD FACES is the cover of 2015 Pan American Games Spectator Guide
Face Of Peru featured in the Spectator Guide
The Pan American Games marketing team tweeted an animated GIF of YOUNG WORLD FACES during the Parade Of Nations for the opening ceremonies.
YOUNG WORLD FACES is the signature fine art photography collection of Robert Young. The body of work was inspired by his Mother. Young began capturing these unique portraits in 2009 beginning with the "Original 7". The collection continues to grow, now featuring over 40 nations.
YOUNG WORLD FACES is a transformational movement created with the use of photography, literature, and film. Robert Young created these images to inspire the revelation of human stories that help citizens of every nation recognize, not only their own beauty but also our global commonality.
YOUNG World Faces endeavors to set a new standard for human acceptance by highlighting our similarities in an attempt to achieve the mutually beneficial goal of eradicating war, injustice, prejudice, and negativity, derived from our incorrectly perceived differences.
In the lead up to the games, Robert Young joined forces with Pattison Outdoor to welcome international visitors arriving for the Pan American Games in Toronto. 40-foot-wide images of YOUNG WORLD FACES alternated on 3 giant LED screens along the Queen Elizabeth Parkway coming in and out of the core of the city.
Thanks to Bob Leroux and his incredible team at Pattison, Robert Young was able to showcase this unique and welcoming initiative that featured over 40 nations.
Monique Giroux, Vice President Sponsorship Marketing & Strategy, Customer Marketing, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
“In addition to our Lead Partnership of the Toronto Pan American Games, CIBC was incredibly excited to be presenting sponsor of PANAMANIA, a 35-day festival which celebrated Canada’s diversity and the vibrant culture and heritage of the Pan American region. This one-of-a-kind festival gave Canadians and visitors alike an opportunity to experience the vibrant and diverse cultures of Canada and the entire Pan American region with performances and exhibitions featuring talent from all of the participating Games’ countries.
One of the exhibits we at CIBC were most proud of was one that came to life in our very lobby at Commerce Court in downtown Toronto. YOUNG World Faces of Pan Am, created by Robert Young, was a stunning collection of 41 large-scale images, each represented by local women with roots in all of the 41 Pan Am Games countries…their faces a canvas for the flag of their nation.
Robert is an internationally accomplished artist who has spent over 20 years engaging in creative initiatives that uplift the human spirit, embrace our differences, and celebrate our commonality. We were so lucky to be able to exhibit his beautiful and important photographic exhibition over the course of the Games. Robert has an extraordinary talent and I personally look forward to experiencing his future exhibits.”
Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Representative of His Majesty The King
“Art matters – in our everyday lives, in our society, and in our hearts and minds. At the level of the individual, they stimulate creativity and encourage us to strive for excellence. They are a powerful means of social cohesion, fostering greater understanding and appreciation among diverse cultural traditions.
Robert Young’s arresting exhibition, YOUNG WORLD FACES, holds up a mirror to us reflecting an interdependent global world. Through these Faces, we see vulnerability and triumph – the power of the human spirit. They inspire and nourish the soul.”