Art What!: Chivas 12 celebrates the future with ‘I Rise, We Rise’

Blended Scotch whisky Chivas is a heritage brand with 112 years of history. More often associated with class, timelessness and elegance, it’s hard to think of it appealing to a contemporary younger audience. But all that seems about to change, as for the first time ever, Chivas is here to inspire the next generation of Scotch drinkers, with a brand new look for its flagship Chivas 12 bottle and brand. And to celebrate, they’re holding a creative pop-up this May, gathering NFT artists, culture-driven communities, creators and neo-entrepreneurs leading the new creator economy, representing the future.

Titled ‘I Rise, We Rise’ the pop-up event is centred on spotlighting and elevating the next generation of hustlers who are forging their own paths to success, with a campaign fronted by K-pop sensation LISA. Taking place for two weeks, the pop-up is a creative takeover of the famed coffee bar, Chye Seng Huat Hardware, in the Jalan Besar district, with a specialised Chivas Pop-up Cocktail Bar on-site. Not only do guests get to try out new cocktails specially crafted with the hippest bars in town, the event also features new NFT art releases, panel talks, digital gamification experiences to be played in real life, DJ and Dance battles, and Chivas whisky tasting sessions.

Guests looking to visit the pop-up will be greeted by a neon Chivas bottle beacon that heralds the pop-up, glowing for all to see once the sun goes down. Within the space, a large-scale, 4.2m tall totem signals the rise of a striking new Chivas—blending boldness, modernity and status while flexing the luxury and distinguished heritage long associated with Chivas Regal. The crest has also been redesigned, christened the ‘Luckenbooth’, a symbol embodying the brand’s values of ambition, generosity and unapologetic success. Not to mention, it’s big, bold and sustainable – the Chivas Totem features 200 upcycled Chivas bottles, symbolic of the greener credentials that all new Chivas 12 bottles now hold; sleeker and lighter. Chivas ends up saving more than 1,000 tonnes of glass each year, not to mention the 100% recyclable and environmentally friendly packaging they now use. All of this is part of a bid to help Chivas attain its 2025 target of 100% recyclable, reusable, compostable or bio-based packaging.

“Chivas 12 is an iconic signature blend, and we are proud to deliver a redesign that speaks the language of a fresh new generation of Scotch Whisky drinkers. We are especially excited to have LISA—our brand ambassador and first female face of Chivas in Asia—lead the way, bringing established enthusiasts and connoisseurs along for the journey”, says Joni Na, brand manager at Chivas Regal, Pernod Ricard Singapore. “We have taken a bold yet meticulous approach with all aspects of this redesign, and while our taller, new-look Chivas 12 takes pride of place on-shelf, we are extending the same spirit of boldness to the ‘I Rise, We Rise’ event in Singapore. It brings together creators, artists, and culture communities together in one space while spotlighting NFTs as a ground-breaking new art form, an affirmation of Chivas’ commitment to elevating diverse creative expressions.”

Digital art is just at the beginning of how profound NFTs will be for the creator economy. I Rise, We Rise shines a spotlight on the artists taking their art to the blockchain via NFT (non-fungible tokens). Curated by creative collective CTRL: UNIT, the NFT showcase features artists employing different art mediums in single and collective visual pieces from MOJOKO and Kristal Melson; a photographic work—achieved by printing a negative multiple times— from Jonathan Liu; 3D surrealistic augmented reality artwork from Aundraj Jude, and an audio NFT music single release, “不跟流行” (anti-trend), from O$P$, which is accompanied by a separate NFT visual that is a snapshot of the duo’s imagined metaverse.

“NFT allows for ownership and verification of digital assets that empower individual artists to commodify their creations while providing a direct line between artist and consumer. It is an empowering concept with huge implications for creators who work in the digital art space. As NFT and blockchain technology become more accessible, it will inevitably find its way into many other facets of daily life,” said Benedict Teo, one-half of the art-music duo, O$P$.

“The technology behind NFTs is unprecedented in proving uniqueness and ownership via smart contracts, ensuring perpetual royalties to the artists. COVID-19 accelerated our need for a robust digital market infrastructure and alternative ways artists could make a living, especially when they could not put on shows or travel for exhibitions and art residencies. It is interesting to see artists working with different genres in the NFT space. We’re seeing a transdisciplinary convergence of contemporary artists from the traditional art market, digital artists, poets, coders and developers coming together. We will also see an evolution with the types of art collectors enabled by NFTs, and ultimately, this will lead to the expansion of the art market as a whole,” added Jonathan Liu, photographer and co-founder of the artist collective NFT Asia.

As a whiskey brand, I Rise, We Rise of course features specially-curated cocktails to suit any taste, with event-exclusive mixes specially concocted by all-female guest bartenders —Desiree Jane from Sago House, Hazel Long from Junior The Pocket Bar, and Juan Yijun from No Sleep Club.

The three cocktails are: Regal Matters (Desiree Jane | Sago House), a Coconut-washed Chivas 12, pineapple syrup, mandarin liqueur, Amaro Montenegro, lemon, Aer; the Cindy Highball (Hazel Long | Junior The Pocket Bar), comprising Genmaicha Chivas 12, rich honey, lemon juice, soda, and lemon twist; and the Stone Fence (Juan Yijun | No Sleep Club), featuring pickled Jalapeño-infused Chivas 13 Rye Cask, charcoal agave, apple juice and cider, and compressed plum.

Building on Chivas’ commitment to elevating creative and culture communities, the pop-up event takes the “I Rise, We Rise” experience from the digital realm to real-life. On-site experiences include a digital Gashapon game created by TEZAREKT, an NFT gamification community platform for beatboxers co-founded by homeboy beatboxer, Dharni; teamed game hunts for Augmented Reality hype drops that rewards participants with Chivas experiences, created in partnership with gamified shopping app KaiKai; and a full community DJ line-up in the evenings.

If anything, Chivas’ ‘I Rise, We Rise’ pop-up is a welcome return to live events and the spirit of nightlife finally making its way back to Singapore, ushering in a new age in the hopes of a post-COVID era, and boldly charting the way into the brand’s future, with its belief in the energy and ideas of youth, sustainable practices, and above all, allowing creativity to flow and lead the way. Come celebrate with Chivas, as ‘I Rise, We Rise’ brings the brand higher than ever before.

‘I Rise, We Rise’ will take place from 6th to 18th May 2022 at 150 Tyrwhitt Road (Beside Chye Seng Huat Hardware). Open 12 noon to 10 pm daily—free admission; open to the public; entry strictly restricted to 18 years and above. Prevailing Safe Management Measures apply. More information and registration available here