A Pollution Pods exhibit was recently erected at St John’s College as a collaborative art project between the college, the Oxford Cultural Programme, and the University Environmental Sustainability team. The Pods represent different environments’ pollution levels, attracting over 750 visitors so far. It intends to raise awareness about pollution and invites Oxford’s wider community to join the discussion about the importance of air quality.
Part of a wider series entitled ‘Everything Is Connected’, the piece is an immersive sensory experience by Michael Pinsky, allowing participants to enter five geodesic domes. Starting with “the clean air of Tautra in Norway, these each represent a specific location, “recreating the distinctive atmospheres found in highly polluted areas like Beijing, London, São Paulo, and New Delhi.”
There is an immediate physical reaction, since the pods “utilise advanced air filtration systems and chemicals to mimic the specific composition and odours of polluted air”. Despite the emulation of the air climate of Beijing, the installation is completely safe according to the project manager Jamie Wright.
Over the five pods, there are monitors with data about each respective city’s air pollution levels using the Plume Air Quality Index value (AQI). A visitor upon leaving the installation remarked how the sensation inside the New Delhi dome is “‘vile” and that she felt “very uncomfortable and dirty”, while a fresher was relieved that “I can breathe again” when they emerged outside.
When asked about how the Pollutions Pods installation was going so far, Jamie Wright told Cherwell: “It’s been an interesting project, I think this is one of the first times that a piece like this has been displayed in a university. It’s quite a unique collaboration for the first time between the Cultural Programme at Oxford – which is relatively new – St John’s College, and the Environmental Sustainability team at the University.”
He added: “It’s been brilliant working with St John’s College and the University, I’m a freelance Arts and Culture project manager. The work I do brings lots of artworks to people for free that wouldn’t necessarily be seen in other places, so it’s brilliant to have it here at St John’s.”
Two John’s students find the installation a positive addition to the college: “Personally, I think it’s a very creative idea, it’s a very immersive way to get people involved and actively thinking about climate issues and the environment. In light of a recent, not very good and destructive way of putting forward climate protest, you know, by the Rad-Cam, I think this is possibly a better way of doing it and getting people involved and actively thinking about things since it’s an environment they step into. I think it’s cool, and free – it’s fun.”
“It’s nice seeing external people come into college to see it – it’s lovely and it’s only for a short period, so it’s good to experience it while it’s here.”
The St John’s College Pollution Pods installation is open until 5 November.
