April 18th – 25th 2018

A series of domes simulates the pollution from London, Beijing, São Paulo, New Delhi and Tautra in Norway. Forming a ring in the centre of Somerset House courtyard, visitors pass through climatically controlled pods to compare the quality of polluted global environments. All five Pollution Pods are linked, so that one has to pass through all of them in order to exit the installation. This visceral experience encapsulates the sense that the world – and our own impact on it – is interconnected.

The entry pod, emulating a peninsula in Norway uses an Airlabs filter to remove all harmful gases to create fresh air. A smorgasbord of metropolises follow, each with their own specific and nuanced polluted environments; from London’s invisible but deadly output of nitrogen oxides to New Delhi’s suffocating haze of airborne particles. The environments have been created in collaboration with chemists and fragrance experts including: Odette Toilette, International Flavors & Fragrances, Iscent and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research.

Pollution Pods was originally commissioned by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology for Climart and has been built with the support of BuildwithHubs. Pollution Pods has received funding from Arts Council England.

Photo credit: Peter Macdiarmid for Somerset House.

Film Credit: Sam Bevitt for BuildwithHubs