AssetID: 55656658
Headline: Margot Robbie's new wheels? Australia's 'Sunburn Car' has terrifying Wuthering Heights-like skin interior
Caption: BY MARK WORGAN Move over Margot Robbie and your skin room! This terrifying car upholstered with human-like flesh has not come straight out of a horror movie but exists to make a serious medical point. Created by Australian advertising agency TBWA\Eleven, the ‘Sunburnt Car’ features an interior – including the seats, dashboard, and door panels – covered in silicone designed to resemble human skin, complete with freckles, moles and strands of hair. Some of the moles were intentionally shaped to resemble potentially cancerous growths. The artificial skin changes colour when exposed to ultraviolet light, mimicking the effect of sunburn. “The idea was to make the invisible UV risk we take every day visible in an unignorable – and frankly, unhinged – way,” said Simon Hayes, creative director at TBWA\Eleven. The car’s interior also bears striking similarities to Cathy’s bedroom in Emerald Fennel’s recent adaptation of Wuthering Heights. The wallpaper for the room was made from a a scan of Aussie star Robbie’s skin, complete with veins, moles, freckles, even the odd hair on the ceiling. The wallpaper was then covered in latex to create an effect that was one of the film’s biggest talking points. To produce the hyper-realistic finish, TBWA\Eleven worked with film professionals too, teaming up with Sydney-based effects company Odd Studio, known for prosthetics and creature design work on screen. Burns and reconstructive surgeon Joanneke Maitz advised the team on scientific accuracy, using the Fitzpatrick Scale – a recognised system for classifying skin types and their response to UV exposure. The silicone surfaces were coated with photochromic pigments, colour-changing inks activated by sunlight. Designers spent weeks testing different variations before applying the material throughout the vehicle’s interior. Photochromic inks are commonly used in transition glasses lenses and passport security markings, although designers have increasingly experimented with them in art and public awareness projects linked to sun exposure and climate. Each mole, freckle and individual hair was then attached by hand. The firm say the level of realism has made people “uncomfortable” but that helped serve the public health campaign. Rather than being designed to wow and scare viewers though, the car campaign focuses on in-car sun exposure, an issue campaigners say is often overlooked despite Australia having some of the world’s highest rates of skin cancer. According to research commissioned as part of the campaign, 70% of Australians believe they are fully protected from the sun while inside a vehicle, despite many car windows failing to block all ultraviolet rays. The car was exhibited publicly at Circular Quay, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge visible behind the installation. The creators say the vehicle will continue to be used for educational events after the campaign ends.
Keywords: feature,photo,skin,sunburn,wuthering heights,margot robbie,emerald fennel
PersonInImage: