An Art Historian, a Comedian and a smarter way to engage audiences
The challenge for the Affordable Art Fair was simple: create a film for YouTube that would engage audiences on the platform while staying true to the organisation's mission of making art more accessible.
Previous videos on the channel had typically achieved only a few hundred views. The brief called for something different, content designed specifically for online audiences rather than a traditional promotional film.
The Idea
At TMAX, we've often found that humour can be a powerful way of breaking down perceived barriers around arts and culture. For this project, we commissioned comedian Sam Campbell to collaborate with art historian Verity Babbs to create an original comedy sketch about art.
The concept was delightfully simple: what if an art historian interview couldn't take place in a quiet gallery or studio, but instead had to happen on two escalators travelling in opposite directions?
As Sam and Verity attempted to hold a conversation about art while constantly moving apart and together again, the absurd setting created a playful and accessible way into discussions about art and art history.
The Production
The film was shot over a single morning at the British Library, turning an everyday public space into the setting for an unconventional interview. The stripped-back production allowed the performances and the concept to shine, resulting in a film that felt fresh, entertaining and perfectly aligned with the Affordable Art Fair's brand.
By using comedy, the film challenged some of the elitist perceptions that can surround the art world and invited audiences to engage with art in a more relaxed and approachable way.
The Results
The response exceeded expectations.
While the Affordable Art Fair's YouTube videos would typically receive only a few hundred views, this film generated more than 40,000 organic views, becoming one of the organisation's best-performing pieces of video content.
The video also attracted a high level of positive engagement and comments, demonstrating that audiences were not only watching but actively connecting with the content. Cut-down versions created for social media platforms also performed strongly, extending the reach of the campaign even further.
When Comedy Works
This project reinforced something we've seen time and again: when it fits a brand, comedy can be an incredibly effective way of reaching new audiences online.
We've previously used a similar approach with Welsh National Opera, pairing comedian Steve Speirs with the challenge of discovering whether opera really is "expensive, posh and impossible to understand". The resulting film became one of the organisation's strongest-performing pieces of content and successfully challenged common misconceptions about the art form.
For arts and cultural organisations in particular, comedy can create an invitation rather than a lesson. It lowers barriers, sparks curiosity and encourages audiences to engage with subjects they might otherwise feel are not for them.
And sometimes, all it takes is an art historian and a comedian on two escalators travelling in opposite directions.