Unleash the Raspberri – Utrecht

For the launch of Absolut Vodka’s new raspberry flavor in 2005, artist Florentijn Hofman was given carte blanche to translate the theme Unleash the Raspberri into an artistic intervention in public space. In the early morning, at exactly 4:16 a.m., he illuminated Utrecht’s Oudegracht in a striking red glow with Bengal fire.

The new flavor of Absolut Vodka was celebrated in spectacular fashion with a symbolic explosion of color. The work — fleeting yet powerful — played with the iconic bottle shape and the sensory intensity of raspberries. The intervention was part of a series of guerrilla actions by various artists, produced by Mothership in collaboration with Being There. With his nocturnal fire performance, Florentijn Hofman added a poetic and provocative dimension to the campaign.