In the face of a rising road toll, how do you make people stop and consider their own vulnerability? You introduce them to Graham, the only person designed to survive on our roads. Part interactive sculpture, part educational tool and ultimately a catalyst for conversation, Graham shows us how the human body would need to change to survive a car crash.
Graham’s evolutionary features include no neck, a barrel-like chest with protective ‘airbags’, abrasion-proof skin and joints that can bend in multiple directions. Although his appearance is confronting, this was key to driving attention and challenging people’s views.
Using decades of road safety data, medical research and creativity a road safety engineer, a trauma surgeon and a world-renowned artist reimagined the human form to deliver evolution underpinned by evidence.
As much as we like to think we’re invincible, we’re not. Key weaknesses in the human body were identified and modified with each physiological change being a new source of information. An interactive online experience let people explore the decisions behind his anatomy and what happens to our bodies in common crash scenarios.
Users could interact with Graham in full 360 degrees. Selecting a hotspot let them examine his anatomy and explore films, interviews and even download educational resources.
Graham was launched in the state’s capital before touring the country to areas where drivers are four times more likely to be in an accident. Visitors were the first to use Google’s Tango technology to literally go beneath Graham’s skin and better understand why he looks the way he does.
The Tango devices used unique technology to 3D map each space and recognize Graham’s place within it. This alleviated the need for unsightly tracking markers on his skin and allowed for seamless installation across multiple exhibition locations.
Within 24 hours Graham had sparked a global road safety conversation as he was discussed, debated and even memed. And in 2017, Graham has been invited to join the World Health Organization as their international face of Road Safety to remind us all of our vulnerability on the road.