Art installation captures the scent of five cities

By Rhiannon McGregor 20 : 06 : 2017 Culture : Sustainability : Wellness

Norway – The Pollution Pods installation replicates the smell and air quality of different urban environments.

A collaboration between British artist Michael Pinsky and Climart, the installation consists of five pods that lead visitors on an olfactory journey through London, UK; Trondheim, Norway; São Paulo, Brazil; Beijing, China and New Delhi, India.

The project recreates the reality of air pollution for populations around the world, using combinations of fragrances and harmless ingredients created by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research to communicate the issue in an engaging way.

Visitors move from one pod to the next through short corridors to highlight the interconnectedness of all these global eco-systems. Starting in Trondheim, a coastal city with comparatively low pollution levels, guests move on to progressively more polluted environments.

‘London is primarily diesel fumes,’ says artist Pinsky. ‘And São Paulo has a smell like vinegar, since they use ethanol for transport.’

The Big Picture

As LS:N Global highlights in our pollution series, pollution levels around the world are causing concern for consumers and brands alike
The extent of the data around pollution means that it is often difficult to process, but projects such as Pollution Pods offer a way to more viscerally demonstrate this growing health crisis