PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Meet Graham; he sports a fatty head with no neck, a series of extra nipples, thick skin, and knees that can bend in every direction. Graham may look like an anomaly from a medical textbook or a character out of an upcoming horror movie, but his primary goal is educating children about the dangers of reckless driving. See, he isn’t actually real; Graham is a sculpture created by Melbourne artist Patricia Piccinini as part of the Victorian Government’s new road safety campaign.
Graham illustrates how the human body would have to be built in order to survive an otherwise catastrophic car crash. Piccinini consulted with trauma surgeons and experts in human anatomy to create a realistic representation. His thick neck will prevent whiplash; his fatty face protects his nose, eyes, and ears; extra rows of nipples form natural “air bags”; his legs are incredibly strong to withstand broken bones.
The Daily Mail reports:
The interactive sculpture is part of a creative Victorian road safety campaign that launched on Thursday. Victorians will be able to use Google Tango, the latest in immersive augmented reality technology, to look beneath Graham’s skin and better understand how his unique features would work to cushion him from serious injury in a crash. School curriculum has also been developed to enhance the learning experience for students visiting Graham in person or online.
How effective Graham will be in deterring young Aussies from dangerous behaviors remains to be seen. Personally, it seems like an interesting project but I doubt this bulbous fellow will have a lasting impact—beyond his bizarre appearance.
Back in the 1970’s and 80’s, teens in the US were shown a series of safety videos that featured people being maimed and killed in real accidents. The most infamous was Red Asphalt; the film was criticized by the Los Angeles Times for being a “joyless ride” of gruesome images and statistics, and “the Reefer Madness of driving: Forget trying to reason with teenagers, just scare ’em.”
