The 70m spit

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Newly settled in Shanghai from rural areas, this community is aware that the sputum in spit contains germs. However, many do not know that the germs are not contained within the 'spot' of the spit. The wind helps to carry the germs that are in the spray of the spit to further distances. According to the Public Health Bureau of Shanghai, germs can spread to as far as 70m depending on the wind conditions.

Simple solution

The solution was simple: make the germs visible, thus making the message obvious to the migrant workers. The health bureau created charcoal artworks that show how far the germs could spread from its source. A total of 51 artists consisting of graffiti artists, graphic designers, and fine arts students were involved in a gigantic piece of social art. In the middle of the artwork was an arrow pointing to a spot of spit and on the arrow was the message. The installations were showcased near residential areas with high migrant worker populations.

Results

As a result of this stunt, coverage was high public awareness, heightened further by various media coverage. The extra publicity helped to spread the word about this unknown fact about spitting, to more people.