Cannon

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alex Langridge, 24 March 2023.

Pub sign at The Cannon in Brompton, Gillingham, undergoes nude makeover as part of Stella Artois' The Pub Renaissance campaign.

Regulars heading down to their local this week will notice something a bit different after its sign underwent a cheeky makeover.

The usual sign for The Cannon, in Brompton, Gillingham, has been transformed into a nude piece of artwork, created by Japanese street artist Enigm.

The sign before and after. Picture: Stella Artois.

Instead of picturing a cannon outdoors ready for battle, it now shows a naked man shooting the weapon skywards.

The temporary makeover at the boozer, in Garden Street, Brompton, is part of a new 11-piece series dubbed The Pub Renaissance – an art collection curated by lager company Stella Artois.

The campaign has been launched to help raise money and support struggling establishments who cannot pay their bills due to the ongoing energy and cost of living crisis.

Data from charity Hospitality Action has revealed applications for financial support are up by almost a third on the previous year.

The original artwork will be auctioned off and replica posters sold to raise money. Picture: Stella Artois.

Senior brand manager at Stella Artois Meg Chadwick said: "As a brand committed to tackling big issues within our communities, we wanted to offer our support to pubs during this challenging time.

"As bastions of British culture, pubs deserve to be valued as much as any piece of art hanging in a gallery, which is why we wanted to use this traditional medium – albeit with a cheeky twist – to support them.

"We want to raise as much money as possible so art and pub lovers – buy nude art, help pubs."

The pub in Garden Street, Brompton, Gillingham, has joined the campaign to help struggling boozers. Picture: Stella Artois.

The new sign will be displayed temporarily. Picture: Stella Artois.

The campaign is also being backed by former model turned landlord Jodie Kidd, who will also be hanging a new, nude, sign outside her pub, the aptly-named Half Moon, in West Sussex.

She said: "I am very proud to be involved with this campaign. As a landlord myself I am very aware of the struggles that pubs and the whole of the hospitality industry are facing."

The original artwork is being sold at an online auction, with all profits going to Hospitality Action, which closes on April 5. Replicas posters can be bought via www.stellapubsigns.com