NumberSense World Record

In the May of 2019, I lead a PR campaign for NumberSense who were aiming to break a world record for building the largest level four Menger Sponge in history, and in the shortest space of time. I wrote and secured a number of published press releases and attended the showcase event at the Ziets Museum to connect and work with media covering the story.

BREAKING A WORLD RECORD AT THE ZIETS MUSEUM

May 2019, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town: There’s no better time to go above and beyond to create change. Change isn’t only occurring in the realm of politics, environmental development, and technology. Change can and does take place across the board, on every level, across industries and interests of the masses. 

Change is driven not only by world leaders the world over but by influential adults and children alike. The breaking of a world record challenges us and pushes our limits to the max creating internal and external change while it provides participants with a purpose and stirs up a feeling of being part of something bigger than ourselves or our individual achievements.  

On Friday the 10th of May grade 4, 5, and 6 students from schools participating in the Standard Bank/Shikaya NumberSense Programme together with students from Stellenbosch University, in just 6 hours built what is believed to be the world’s largest Level 3 Menger Sponge in the fastest time. The record attempt formed part of the 2019 NumberSense User Group Conference. The world record attempt was hosted at Cape Town’s incredible Ziets Museum, which is housed in the revamped silos of the Waterfront – the perfect location for such a massive feat. With a classical duo providing music for the moment, the level 3 Menger Sponge was completed with time to spare as a crowd of excited delegates sang their support and invited onlookers cheered as they witnessed the event looking down from the balcony in the foyer of the Ziets Museum.

A total of 18,048 tabbed cardboard squares were glued to join, held together by 36,096 rubber bands and standing at 1.8m x 1.8m x 1.8m. The Menger Sponge specifications will now be submitted to the Guinness Book of Records for approval and with a listing to follow. The official announcement is yet to be made and is expected within the next couple of months.

Here’s the media coverage secured for this project on behalf of NumberSense:

Red Book: NumberSense at The Ziets Museum World Record PR Campaign

Video Credits: Johnny Swanepoel

Image Credits: Domni Gorin