The Hiscox community portrait is a celebration of the power of collaboration and the intrinsic importance of each individual within a larger collective. Created by renowned artist Tim Mann, the artwork merges the overlapping outlines of over 1,200 employees from every part of the business, all of whom volunteered to be part of the project, creating a powerful visual representation of the Hiscox community.
Between May and November 2023, Tim visited six Hiscox offices: Atlanta, Bermuda, London, Madrid, Munich and York. After gathering the participants together in small groups and leading them into a conversation about the resonance of the project’s themes with the Hiscox values, Tim used a red Conté crayon to draw a simple silhouette around each person, one by one – a brief but meaningful act of intimacy between artist and subject. Each employee left their own unique imprint on the work, with absolutely no sense of hierarchy or differentiation. “By drawing around each individual in turn, we created a single image that celebrates every participant equally,” says Tim. “Without any one of those people who took part, it doesn’t mean as much.”
During the sessions, a further series of artworks were created by each of the subjects drawing around their own hands in a similar fashion – the hand being, as Tim explains: “A common symbol of strength and protection, but also of greeting and friendship.”
While the finished artworks have a distinct aesthetic appeal, Tim believes that their most consequential impact has come through the hundreds of thought-provoking personal interactions that led to their creation. “The actual artwork is the process through which those people participate,” Tim explains. “The piece itself is just the evidence of that happening.”
The main portrait can now be viewed in our York office, while the hand-based pieces are in each of the participating locations.
Watch the making of the Hiscox community portrait film here.
