Bell’s Message In A Bottle Art Installation

In celebration of Bell’s partnership with Forces’ charity, Help for Heroes, the makers of the nation’s most-loved whisky are excited to host the Message In A Bottle art exhibition. The sensorial installation, which is open to the public on 26 and 27 June, honours the strength of character shown by those who have served our Nation.

Designed by award-winning interactive designer, Sebastian Kite, the exhibition uses an array of sensory cues to uniquely recount the inspirational tales and humbling experiences of Armed Forces’ veterans and people pivotal to their recovery.

Hosted at the contemporary Display London Gallery in Holborn, visitors are instantly immersed into the narrative, greeted by ‘A Circle Of Stories’. The structure - symbolising the cyclical nature displayed by each veteran in the rebuilding of their lives - sees 40 empty Bell’s bottles housing individual scrolls.
Each scroll shares the heroes’, their family and staff experiences, words of wisdom and, as they look ahead, their vision for the future.

Downstairs, the sensory experience intensifies with a glass exhibit, bathed in reflective light from 600 glass surfaces. A central beacon of light is suspended above a pool of whisky, which is heated to gently fill the room with gentle malted barley aromas, and is playfully reflected from the liquid below. Journeying through the exhibit, a 360 degree audio conversation shares an insight into the lives of wounded and injured ex-Servicemen and women, their families and supporters, including Help for Heroes staff. Moving through the exhibition, each individual’s story of strength of character is recounted to a symphony of whispers made by the tales of five others.

The makers of Bell’s have a proud history of celebrating strength of character - typical of that shown by those in the Armed Forces – first inspired by the spirit and resilience of Arthur Bell and the characterful blend of the liquid. The whisky marks its affinity with the military by proudly carrying the Gaelic battle cry, “afore ye go” on the bottle, a motto adopted following the First World War.

Open for a limited time, Bell’s ‘Message In A Bottle’ art installation marks £1m raised for Help for Heroes by the whisky brand.