Vinyl, battery, proximity sensor, MP3 player, digital timer, audio amplifier, audio driver, and lawn-sprinkler spray head

6' x 48" (183 x 122 cm)

At first glance, Rethink’s bus-shelter advertisement for Vancouver’s Science World seems rather ordinary: a white background with a large orange circle and Science World’s blue logo. There is also a button labeled “Press here and we’ll explain”; observers who comply are “sneezed” on by the advertisement, a realistic effect created with sound and a spritz of water at face level, often causing observers to jump back in surprise and disgust. A recorded voice then relays an interesting fact about the physics of sneezing and urges a visit to Science World to learn more. Rethink’s concept for the campaign was a unique presentation of facts in order to pique interest in the museum; the result is an interactive product that brings urban infrastructure to life, adding humor and the unexpected to an activity as routine as waiting for the bus.