The Crate Fan Cometh

Image Credit Flickr User CCSA

What’s red, 15 meters tall and made from 2,600 Coca-Cola crates?  Any guesses?  Meet Crate Fan, the beverage giant’s monument to the FIFA World Cup, just about to start in South Africa.  As well as a (very good) advert for the product, the company have stated that it is a very visible statement of their commitment to recycling in the African nation.

Image Credit Flickr User CCSA

The giant crate fan will stand for the duration of the tournament in Johannesburg’s Mary Fitgerald Square, greeting motorists as they pass on the M1 highway the giant figure overlooks.  A second is currently being constructed on the waterfront in Cape Town.

Image Credit Flickr User CCSA

Crate Fan is the work of artist Porky Hefer (that is some name, sounds like another way of saying fat cow).  First he erected a steel scaffold as the skeleton on to which the crates were then added.  Coca-Cola certainly seems to be going strong on the recycling message.  They recently ran a Ticket Fund programme in which children won tickets to matches in the World Cup based on how many used bottles they could collect for recycling.

Image Credit Flickr User CCSA

With that in mind, of course, it does beg the question whether the artist used old or new crates for the twenty five ton monument. Mmm.

Image Credit Flickr User CCSA

Here at Kuriositas, we reckon that the real inspiration for the art is the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.  You have to admit, redness aside, there is a certain similarity. Or is that why we have just been given a giant red finger?

Image Credit Flickr User CCSA

Meanwhile, over at our sibling site, World Cup Football Today, you can find out more about what is going on in South Africa as the tournament progresses.

As well as reports on the match we bring you the best promotional videos doing the rounds on the internet at the moment.  Go take a look!