New “Pollution Pod” Lets You Sample The Pollution Of Megacities

If you ever wondered what it's like to breathe in the air of famously polluted cities like New Delhi or Beijing, a virtual exhibit put up in the UK by artist Michael Pinsky can give you a taste ... literally. These so-called Pollution Pods “replicate foreign air quality and their relative levels of ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide.” To balance the experience as a contrast, visitors can also breathe the comparatively pure air of Tautra Island in Norway.

In a powerful piece of symbolism, each unique dome is also interconnected with the others “to demonstrate that these cities are interconnected by the toll of global capitalist consumerism.”

It is the best kind of purposeful art, and something I really hope to see become a traveling exhibit like The Compassion Experience to bring this perfect example of Virtual Empathy to even more people.