Singapore’s rapid development into an urban nation has resulted in higher carbon emissions due to deforestation and an increase in vehicular traffic. On the regional front, haze contributed by smoke from Indonesia fires, has been a recurring airborne health hazard to Singaporeans. As such, air purifiers have become increasingly popular but are only used or purchased when outdoor air pollution is reported. Few people understand that air purifiers should always be used as the air indoors can be up to 30 times more polluted, according to the World Health Organization.

To make the invisible air problem indoors visible, together with media artist Nils Völker, we built an approachable yet educational art installation titled The Breathing Wall.

A living installation made of 192 bags and 384 fans, the Wall breathes in real-time to the surrounding environment, breathing rhythms that resemble human lungs in both visual and sound. The entire experience is also enhanced with educational health facts about poor indoor air quality.

In line with Philips’ “sense and simplicity” philosophy, Wall was designed to be modular and travelled easily to exhibition halls and malls around the nation to present the visual truth about indoor air quality between March and April this year.

Every person who interacted with the Breathing Wall was mesmerised by it. It drew their attention and made them open to learning about indoor air issues. Majority of the people were unaware and surprised by the facts presented about indoor air quality. Engagement time with the Wall was high, averaging at 3 minutes. People were compelled to take photos and videos, which they posted on their Instagram and Facebook accounts.