Museum/Exhibition Title: Museum of Cigs (香烟一点都不香)
The English name needs some work. The Chinese name is supposed to be a little more creative, with 香 being a character in the word that means cigarette while also meaning “fragrant” (smells nice).
Mission Statement
The Museum of Cigs is designed to discourage nonsmokers from starting smoking and encourage current smokers to quit by displaying relatable exhibits (with a twist) that are hard-hitting, causing the viewer to really consider either their future or current goals with regards to smoking cigarettes. It was inspired by my own struggle to quit smoking, which I have tried to do many, many times to no long-term success. I view the museum as particularly important in China, where the smoking culture is very prevalent, and many people seemingly don’t even know about the health problems that come with smoking. One reason for my struggle to quit is the fact that many of my Chinese friends also smoke; I hope this museum can have an impact on them and anybody else it can.
Description
The museum will be a temporary popup, changing locations around China
First Location: Vacancy Gallery (乌鲁木齐中路19弄2号)
Architecture: 3 story apartment building converted into an open space
Ticket: normal ticket
Featured Exhibits
Man in Coffin
A life-sized coffin with a mannequin inside, buried in cigarettes
Interactivity: current smokers are encouraged to place one of their own cigarettes into the coffin
Inspiration:
Actual creation + process:
- Measuring for coffin dimensions
I wanted to create this project using as little money as possible. I used cardboard boxes from purchases I had made on 淘宝, scissors, double-sided tape, a mannequin I had at home for drawing purposes, and three boxes of the cheapest cigarettes that were available at the store (total cost of this part was like 20RMB). If I had put more money into it, it could have been much more realistic; I could have used thin pieces of wood and nice glue that would not be visible like the tape is. This is just a proof of concept piece. Next to the coffin I placed a piece of paper with the following text:
“Everyone dies. Cigarettes, however, only speed up the process.
If you currently smoke, place a cigarette in the casket.”
Cigarette Shop
A cigarette shop inspired by the ones I have seen in Shanghai
Purchasable cigarette packs, however the price is not in RMB; it is in time (in relations to the health impact smoking cigarettes has)
The cigarette pack itself is real. Inside are facts about cigarette smoking that are rolled into the shape of a cigarette
Example: Smoking causes 1 in every 5 deaths in the U.S. every year.
Scannable QR code to “pay” via WeChat that redirects to a website about quitting smoking
Inspiration: Lawson cigarette sales counter
Actual creation + process:
Like before, I wanted to spend as little as possible. I used a large piece of cardboard from another 淘宝 box to be the thing that all the cigarette boxes would be placed on. I asked my friends (almost all of them smoke various cigarettes) to not throw away any cigarette boxes after they had finished smoking. I ended up with around 11 different types of cigarette boxes (with some duplicates to put into the coffin) that I priced according to the tar/nicotine levels. The higher the amount, the more “expensive” (time wise) that each pack was. I tried to mimic the font of the design in Lawson.
Dark room: music
There is a dark room where headsets are available to listen to “Nikki” by Logic.
A screen is on the wall with a number counting the people who have died from smoking related diseases.
Inspiration:
Actual creation + process:
No pictures of this; the headphones can be seen in the final project picture below. My friend let me borrow his wireless headphones, which I placed on the table and instructed people to listen to the song. Being wireless meant a cleaner exhibit, although in an actual situation the battery would become a problem.
Final pics
Reflection
After hearing the critique, I know that this museum/exhibit’s core ideas would have to be altered for it to work. They made a good point: why would current smokers go to this exhibit? They wouldn’t. I should make it a more general cigarette museum, including both the positives and negatives as well as the history and any other information about cigarettes. Let the museum be open for debate/conversation, rather than pushing my narrative onto everyone forcefully. The facts/exhibits should do the talking for themselves. Overall it was a very fun project and it has even encouraged me to work with my good friend to slowly quit smoking ourselves.