LHC on the bus

On 15 December, an airport bus will be transformed in the image of CERN. The bus will be seen by the thousands of travellers arriving in Geneva, informing them of the possibility to visit CERN.

 

Sketch of the bus.

The good relationship between Geneva International Airport and CERN started several years ago. In 2004 the airport put advertising space in the arrivals area at CERN's disposal free of charge. Now, starting on 15 December, a 40-foot long bus will display a giant sticker advertisement depicting CERN as it takes passengers over the airport tarmac to their planes.

This is no ordinary sticker, and it was no mean task to attach it to the bus. The task of producing and attaching it was entrusted to Geneva-based specialists Mathys SA. With the ski season opening on 15 December, there will be many travellers arriving at the airport, and the bus will be ready to receive them.

When one thinks of CERN, the subjects that naturally come to mind are the LHC, the mysteries of the Universe, and subatomic particles. All of these themes have been brought together in the artwork. “The challenge was to come up with a visual scheme that would reflect the concept of the LHC, which is all about accelerating particles to understand our Universe,” explains Fabienne Marcastel, the graphic designer behind this creation. Thus, the viewer will see pictures of the LHC, the Globe exhibition and the particles in one continuous image (see sketch).

In addition to spreading the message about the LHC as a resource for scientific research, the bus will inform visitors about the “Universe of particles” exhibition, located just minutes away from the airport. (That’s assuming there’s no snow, and it’s not during rush hour!)

by Laëtitia Pedroso