Anti-Tobacco Street Murals in Indonesia
As part of an interdisciplinary global studio to Ambon, Indonesia, and a local anti-tobacco campaign, our group designed and painted two site-specific street murals aimed at reducing tobacco use.
The murals incorporate elements in the local environment to create site specific prompts; bringing attention to mundane objects and sights that usually go unnoticed or overlooked – a metaphor for bringing attention to the symptoms of emphysema that are going unnoticed.
They combine text and image, appropriating existing slogans of local tobacco advertisements and using them to contradict pro-tobacco messages – taking something familiar to local Indonesians and re-contextualising it to bring attention to the anti-tobacco message; using an element of surprise to make it stand out in the already saturated media environment.
The murals around Ambon will serve as engaging and interactive ‘instagrammable’ photo opportunities and prompts for Indonesians to take care of their lung health, raising awareness about the symptoms of emphysema in hopes for prevention and early detection.
Group members: Emily Ung, Madison Chan, Marissa Vafakos, Domenico Packman, and Bell Dinnel.