Since 2010, toxic air in London has been at illegal levels, and for a brief period last year, air pollution in London was even worse than Beijing, according to statistics from the London mayor’s office. This air has a direct effect on the lives of Londoners, with more than 9,000 dying prematurely each year, and the air itself is no doubt the result from vehicles on the road–including those that use diesel.
Despite the statistics, Londoners seem to be unaware of how severe the problem is. But artist Michael Pinsky set off to change that by setting up an exhibit on the grounds of the Somerset House which included five geodesic domes, or pollution pods, each designed to simulate the atmospheric conditions in Beijing; São Paulo; London; New Delhi; and Norway’s Tautra Island by recreating the local air using safe chemicals.
Pinsky’s hope was that by directly experiencing levels of pollution from around the world, people would be galvanized to act.
“In terms of driving behavioral change, the thing that seemed important was to pick something that affects everyday life,” he said. “I picked London because pollution is something I feel every day.”
A tour through these geodesic pollution pods from least to most polluted would leave one walking from Tautra Island, to London, to Beijing, to New Delhi, and then finally to São Paulo, where the air is so noxious it made guests desperate to get out. Those visitors from rural locations suffered the most, suggesting that it may be possible to grow numb to constant high levels of outdoor air pollution. Londoners shared their own experiences with London’s pollution, reporting discolored mucus, difficult exercising outdoors, and purchasing plants to improve indoor air quality.
In addition to hosting the exhibit, Somerset House also raised a new Union Jack flag for Earth Day that changes color in real time as it reacted to London’s air quality, transforming from red, white, and blue to gray and black as it reacts to levels of radiation exposure.