Smileline

We live in a world of overwhelming stimulation. Walking through any street in any city, we’re bombarded by an incredible array of sights, sounds, and smells. Adverts on walls, stickers on street signs, window displays, car horns and traffic lights all lead to the overstimulation of our senses, which makes us feel frazzled and anxious. Then, when everything is quiet and the sensory stimuli have fallen away, people don’t know what to do with themselves. We feel lost and insecure, desperately seeking distraction.

This is what happens when we wait. Standing at a bus stop, for example, there’s nothing to do but wait. And instead of using this time to decompress, relax, and interact with others, most of us take it as an excuse to grab our phones and look busy.

This is where „Smileline“ comes in – to give people the opportunity to put their phones away and let go of everything, just for a few minutes, whilst waiting for a bus. Instead of trying desperately to occupy themselves and, more importantly, to appear occupied to others, they can simply drop everything and engage, fully and completely, with the their surroundings. They can make music together, dance, talk, or simply sit and enjoy what’s happening around them. Because “Smileline” is designed to remind people that everything is ok. No matter what’s happening in the world or how you feel, things can be ok, even just for a few minutes, if you let go. That’s what the bus stop is there for – to make people feel better. Because sometimes we need something that brings us back to ourselves and gives us a break. And if that happens a bus stop, that’s okay.