The bottle for art

Absolut Vodka has been involved with the art world since 1985, when Andy Warhol made a painting inspired by the brand's distinctive bottle. That led to the on-running Absolut Originals, in which contemporary artists, photographers and filmmakers throughout Europe are invited to produce their own variants on the theme. The whole enterprise amounts to a growing portfolio of work by such names as Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili, Jan Saudek and Miquel Barcelo. Tomorrow sees the second year of another, public Absolut art event, pavement art, at Sandymount Strand car park, next to the Martello Tower, when 50 artists and celebrities, overseen by Tony Hart, will collaborate in creating a fifty-panel "masterpiece." The finished work will then be put up for auction, the proceeds going to GOAL. The event starts at 9.30am and will run until 2pm. Everyone is free to have a look.