Humanitas is an important hospital and a research facility that every year invests in smoking prevention.

They gave us data and medical research on smoking, and asked us to make teens aware of smoking risks, through an innovative and involving way.

90% of Italian smokers started when they were teens. In our country smoking is seen as cool and a way to be accepted by friends. The challenge was to prevent teens from starting smoking, by demonstrating what it would do to their bodies, in an effective and shocking way, because they don't pay attention to anyone.

We had four thousand cigarettes smoked through a vacuum machine, that filtered the chemicals into water. The result was a black liquid that we used as ink to paint a unique exhibit. In order to get teens attention we re-elaborated medical charts with the most iconic images from art history using artistic metaphors to easily explain the complex concepts.

The exhibit has been designed to be a sensorial experience. Thanks to its shape we made teens feel like they were inside smokers lungs, and thanks to the special ink, we made them smell the damages.

We had four thousand cigarettes smoked through a vacuum machine, that filtered the chemicals into water. The result was a black liquid that we used as ink to paint a unique exhibit.

In order to get teens attention we re-elaborated medical charts with the most iconic images from art history and used artistic metaphors to easily explain the complex concepts.

The exhibit has been designed to be a sensorial experience. Thanks to its shape we made teens feel like they were inside smokers lungs, and thanks to the special ink, we made them smell the damages.

Over 50 schools and 3,000 students came to visit the exhibit in Humanitas as well as the 5,000 daily hospital visitors. We replicated the exhibit several times, for example during the Milan Design Week, with thousands of visitors. Every Italian TV channel and newspaper spoke about it. The exhibit, born only for teens, became an interesting experience for smokers of all ages.