Floods, police stake-outs and Hollywood stars - since moving into
its Leicester Square office six months ago, PR agency Cohn and Wolfe has
seen more drama than most West End shows.
Recently, the thrills - and floods - sprang from a two- metre square
water sculpture. The work was the winning exhibit in last year’s
C&W-sponsored Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design show and
thus, as part of its support package, was bought by the agency.
At first, recalls managing director Martin Thomas, it was seen as rather
beautiful and calming - that is before it damn near flooded the
downstairs office.
’We had to rip it out,’ Thomas tells me, ’and it’s lying in pieces now,
looking rather pathetic. We keep telling people it’s minimalist art and
that the great big puddle in the middle of the floor is part of the
deconstructionist concept.’
Well, there’s no law against that, which is a good thing really, because
the Met has been using the somewhat damp office as an observation
point.
’We have a very good view of Leicester Square from here,’ Thomas
explains ’and the police have asked us several times if they can use my
office to keep an eye on things.
’It’s also a great vantage point for film premieres. We had half the
agency squeezed in here when Madonna turned up for Evita. There’s never
a dull moment.’