H1N1 – Halloween Costumes 2009

2009’s TOP COSTUMES:
Michel Jackson Thriller, Zombies, Max and Carol from Where The Wild Things Are, Flo the Progressive Auto Insurance girl, Bob Ross, and H1N1 virus.
Halloween is one night in which you can turn back the hands of time, disregard all boundaries, and be someone timeless. Halloween has transformed into a night that honors innovators, cultural moments, celebrities, and hauntings from the years past.
I had chosen to be the scariest outbreak from 2009, H1N1 virus disguised as the common cold. The media has exploited health and wellness. The H1N1 virus has spread from Fox News to displays distributing hand sanitizer in public places.
When thinking of how to accurately portray this pandemic I had thought about peoples associations and fears. Asking questions like: how are people exposed to H1N1, what are the most fearful aspects, and what images exaggerate the theory. As a solution I gathered an old hazmat suit, vials, beakers, stickers, and makeup.

On the back: I sewed in the symbol of the Red Cross as well as common cold text. This was my disguise, the scariest part of the virus, the wonder or mystery behind most cases of the pandemic. Is this viral or bacterial?

On the front: I had sewed a line of vials to display the toxicity of the illness as well as on the under shirt sewn in H1N1 text.

Accessories: I drank out of a beaker to display the scientific nature of the illness. To demonstrate the spread of the illness I printed 300 sticker labeled INFECTED. Throughout the evening I secretly distributed the stickers on partygoers. At the beginning of the evening I told people what the sticker meant (they were infected with the H1N1) so they could answer questions regarding the sticker. After a few hours I secretly infected others to cause curiosity. The result of the evening was exciting others were passing the virus around and so it spread.

Thanks Ben for the photos.