The launch of Paper City, in Humber Street, Hull, where the world’s favourite colour Marrs Green was revealed. Pictured here is one of Richard Woods’ architectural scale ‘interventions’ along Humber Street. The Paper City event runs until July 9.
EXCITED SCHOOLCHILDREN were showered with paper helicopters as the “world’s favourite colour” was revealed in Hull.
Paper merchant GF Smith’s survey of tens of thousands of people in 100 countries in an online poll revealed the most popular to be a deep teal shade, which they have named Marrs Green.
The company, known worldwide for its top-quality paper, but hardly at all in Hull where it has been based for 132 years, will now add the colour to their classic Colorplan series.
The shade – similar to the paint people daubed themselves in for last year’s Sea of Hull mass naked art installation – was launched in a flurry of air cannons at the start of a new exhibition in and around Humber Street of amazing paper sculptures.
Paper City – which runs till July 9 – includes Bethan Laura Wood’s colourful Seaweed Kites, which gently sway off the rafters of an old smoke house, and Adam Holloway’s fluid sculptural forms, Apeiron Flow.
Lazerian’s Local Fish – a giant cod with leathery embossed scales, recalls the city’s long relationship with the fish.
The colour was named after Annie Marrs, from Dundee, who chose it on an online spectrum.
GF Smith joint managing director Phil Alexander said: “Annie’s dot was virtually in the centre of a conglomeration of dots.”
Ms Marrs said she had been inspired by a trip on the River Tay: “You see it in the sea, the sky, it is fresh, bright and youthful and it’s just so rich.”
Mr Alexander said: “It is a beautiful new shade. In our Colorplan series we have 50, but overall nearly 400 colours – and this colour isn’t there, which is really amazing.”
He added: “Eighty-five per cent of our staff are here in Hull. It’s about showing the public what we do and supporting City of Culture, and it’s also for our staff, as everything we do is elsewhere.
“We export to 60 countries and our biggest market is America.”
Chief executive of Hull 2017 Martin Green said: “Paper City is part of our opening weekend of season three, along with the PRS Music Biennial.
“To all those people who have said for the last six months: ‘We must get there’ – now’s the time.”
George Frederick Smith founded the company in 1885 to supply printers and publishers with the finest paper. His brother Thomas James Smith founded Hull healthcare giant Smith & Nephew.
In our Colorplan series we have 50, but this colour isn’t there. Phil Alexander of paper merchant GF Smith.