Concerned that not enough people in China feel comfortable discussing sexuality, condom brand Durex worked with social marketing agency S-Lab to create an online sex museum that broaches the topic in the trippiest way possible.
(Didn't Durex already make emoji to deal with this problem?)
The museum, accessible through a QR code, is a fully explorable virtual space where full-color artwork, provided by 12 artists solicited for the project, hangs on black-and-white walls. Clicking on individual pieces of art provides a closer look and info about them.
Check out the promotional video:
Below is artwork by Chanon Treenet that also acts as a promotion for Durex's Aloe Vera Pleasure Gel. "The acceptability of Chinese consumers for lube product is relatively low," Treenet says, and this piece shows that lube "is a lovely thing to color up the whole process of your sex life."
Despite being almost inaccessibly abstract, some of the stuff is pretty racy, which might explain how the museum got 1 million views the day it launched.
How it will actually facilitate frank and/or useful discussions about sexuality is another matter entirely. Art is good at forcing people to acknowledge issues, and reframing them in interesting ways, but the execution here makes this a branding exercise first and foremost.
The Internet hasn't proven to be the best place to cultivate genuine sex talk anyway, as evidenced by pretty much everything posted on it from 1996 to right now. Instead, maybe you can visit one of the many sex museums that exist in real life. (Try not to overdo it on the interactive exhibits, though.)
