KINC BRINGS CICELY MARY BARKER'S FAMOUS FAIRIES TO LIFE

THE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE
How do you transform a major shopping destination into a magical fairyland that appeals to all ages?

For their 2003 flower show, “Flower Fairies” Marshall Field's planned a storewide exhibit of famed 20’s-era illustrator Cicely Mary Barker’s botanically accurate fairy drawings, and turned to Kinc to transform the entore store with window murals, scenic elements, and environmental dressing drawn directly from Barker’s works.

THE DESIGN SOLUTION

This massive project included designs for hand-painted backdrops for the 13 main State Street display windows - each corresponding with the specific color and fairy combinations specified in Barker’s books - with matching window portals to frame the backdrops, large detailed murals for the selling floors and promenade, a huge bird cage containing a mobile of translucent fairies, over 100 antiqued urns decorated with branches and living moss, moss-covered gazebos housing live plants, huge hand-dyed and appliqued mobiles and coronets, and antiqued gazebos perched on top of the sales kiosks to anchor the mobile swags and streamers.

Great idea! Now how do we do it?

KINC COMES TO THE RESCUE
Expert muralists, Kinc began by using Barker's original art as templates to paint the window backdrops, window portals, and murals for the selling floors and promenade.

The atrium coronet mobiles were festooned with ribbons and supported long drapes of hand-dyed gauze. The ombre dye effect of the drapes was accomplished by working in sections, pulling select lengths of material out of the dye vat at timed intervals, after which the pieces were hung to dry.

Once dried, the swags were heavily ornamented with appliqués of leaves and flowers, and anchored into decorated gazebos that were placed atop merchandise islands around the main floor, then planted with arrangements designed by celebrity floral artist Paula Pryke.