Bizarre Contagion Sign Made of Bacteria

From Petri dish to advertisement
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 9, 2011 4:35 AM CDT

Building on its reputation for always being ahead of the curve, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada created of a unique outdoor installation merging science and advertising that is guaranteed to leave movie lovers, science buffs and art enthusiasts in 'awe' or 'eww'. In support of Academy Award ? winner Steven Soderbergh's latest film "Contagion" -- in theatres September 9th, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada teamed up with microbiologists and immunologists from around the world to create a one-of-a-kind bacteria message board located at 409 Queen Street West in an abandoned store-front window. On August 28th, two large Petri dishes were inoculated with live bacteria including penicillin, mold and pigmented bacteria and almost overnight have revealed the true Contagion -- an artistic interpretation of the spread of a virus as depicted in the film. The public was invited to witness first-hand the remarkable growing power of natural bacteria on Wednesday August 31st from 11:00 AM -- 2:00 PM. The first 50 people who arrived received passes to see "Contagion" in theatres and other themed prizes.
(WBToronto)

The producers of the sick new thriller Contagion came up with a creepy way to promote their product. Warner Bros. Pictures Canada hired microbiologists to culture bacteria on two signs that grew to spell out the name of the movie in a most disgusting way, reports Adweek. Scientists inoculated two large Petri dishes with live bacteria—including penicillin, mold, and pigmented bacteria—then used them to "paint" the signs, which were displayed in the windows of an abandoned storefront in Toronto. (More Contagion stories.)