OnStar portrays the reality of road safety through art

OnStar, an in-vehicle safety and security technology from General Motors, had its launch in the Middle East region last year. The brand pioneering in emergency services has been vocal about raising awareness for road accidents and the need for a reliable emergency support system which OnStar fulfils. OnStar launched a new “Through Thier Eyes”  campaign in Dubai, which saw the brand collaborate with six regional artists to visually depict the emotions involved in real-life road accidents.

The artworks were displayed at the Infinity des Lumières in Dubai Mall. Before the paintings were displayed, guests were taken through an audio-visual journey of the “Through Their Eyes” campaign. The journey belonged to the artists being exposed to the accident visuals and unedited emergency calls provided by OnStar and penning down imagery of their interpretation.

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The artists comprised big regional names such as Hamad Al Humaidhan, Kristel Bechara, Galina Gorlova, Simon Kazanjian, Sumayyah Al Suwaidi and Asma Al Remeithi. Each of their highly individualistic artworks spanning traditional paint, sequential, abstract and digitally designed styles invited viewers to push past the usual unease around the subject matter and evoke empathy for those affected.

Shereen Harris, Head of Marketing & Subscriptions – OnStar Middle East at General Motors, commented, “An accident isn’t something people relate to, unless one has experienced it firsthand, and this is why people tend to shy away from this aspect of road safety. Through our research, we have also found that people avoid discussing negative situations and content, however this is a conversation we need to be having. We wanted to go a step further and build awareness towards the emotional, physical and psychological outcomes of an accident amongst those who might have never encountered this. The artists embarked on a transformative experience through firsthand accounts from accident victims via a multisensory lens, and we hope that through these works, conversation can emerge within a stress-free environment and live on in the minds of our audiences.”

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The OnStar event saw the announcement of another collaboration with The LightHouse Arabia. The alliance was devised to offer a tailored program open to accident victims and their loved ones within the community. Commencing from November this year, anyone can register for webinars on road accident traumas with select slots available to acquire individual trauma briefings with specialists.

Aisling Prendergast, Trauma Specialist and Project Lead at LightHouse Arabia further commented, “We want to help those who have experienced trauma, understand its long-lasting impact, as well as share techniques on how best to tackle this. Together over the course of the next three months, we look forward to serving the community and making a positive difference to the lives of everyone we work with, be it accident victims themselves or their loved ones.”