Thomas Heatherwick and Rankin lead stellar line-up of artistic powerhouses at Cannes Lions

The panels will address the intersection of art, culture and brands and will feature a line-up of artistic powerhouses, including world-famous British designer Thomas Heatherwick and renowned photographer Rankin along with a selection of some of the brightest young directors and photographers in the industry.

The sessions will provide a fresh lens on how artists create a deep emotional connection with society and how art sparks important conversation.

Thomas Heatherwick, Founder and Design Director of Heatherwick Studio brings together the practices of design, architecture and urban planning. His prolific work spans the globe with recent projects including Hudson Yard in New York, Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town and Coal Drops Yard in London. He will be joined on the Cannes Lions stage with Richard Edelman, President and CEO of global communications firm Edelman.

Discussing the Visual Diet initiative, world renowned photographer Rankin and Women of the World Founder, Jude Kelly CBE join Head of Visual Content at M&C Saatchi, Mimi Gray and Matt Cooper, Founder & Owner of Little Black Book. The panel will build upon the debate around visual diet and mental health, and the responsibility of the creative communications industry to improve upon it. The group will explore the power and influence images have on society, reviewing the elements of authenticity and perfection while acknowledging the drastic increase in consumption of content across multiple platforms.

Taking a GenZ perspective on shifting the representation of gender identities from traditional norms to a more non-conformist approach Adolescent Content will bring content creators to discuss how to reach younger audiences authentically. Photographers Myles Loftin and Laurence Philomene join Director Shea Vaughan-Gabor and Creative Director Ramaa Mosley to share how they create and produce work that drives change and innovation and addresses toxic gender representation.

Hear global speakers from agencies, brands and the wider creative community tell their stories and share their ideas at Cannes Lions from 17 – 21 June 2019. The full Festival programme is now live https://www.canneslions.com/attend/planner and includes sessions exploring themes around brand purpose, consumer experience, trust, storytelling and the value of creativity.