Architecture – M i c h a e l P i n s k y

Nov

All the Tyres in Iceland on show at NDSM, Amsterdam

All the Tyres from Iceland: NDSM, Amsterdam

22 September – 24 November 2025

All the Tyres from Iceland is a sculptural project by Michael Pinsky that has transformed discarded tyres—imported from Iceland to the Port of Amsterdam for recycling—into monumental site-specific installations. By temporarily diverting tyres from GRANUBAND’s recycling process, the work reimagines these objects of negative value as striking forms that evoke both minimalist art and the vast infrastructures of global trade. In doing so, the project highlights the paradoxes of circular economies, where waste becomes resource, and invites reflection on the systems, logistics, and values that shape our relationship with what we discard. This project is part of the european Starts4Water programme and is hosted by WAAG futurelab and the Port of Amsterdam.

https://www.ndsm.nl/en/agenda/waag

Nov

Pollution Pods at the International Cervantino Festival

Pollution Pods: Festival Internacional Cervantino

Following shows this year in Cartagena, Colombia, at the World Health Organisation’s Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, Barakaldo Bilbao and at BBK Klima in Urdaibai, the Pollution Pods will next travel to Mexico for the British Council’s showcase of UK arts at the Festival Internacional Cervantino. The UK is the Guest Country of Honour at this year’s festival, one of Latin America’s largest cultural events, running from 10–26 October.

https://festivalcervantino.gob.mx/actividad/1301/pollution-pods

Jun

Place Lalla Yeddouna shortlisted for Aga Khan Award for Architecture

#PlaceLallaYeddouna has been shortlisted for the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture. This stunning new addition to the Fez medina, designed by @mossessian_architecture, seamlessly blends with its historic surroundings while celebrating local materials and craftsmanship

I designed the tiles for the seven courtyards—crafted from locally made tiles, using only the traditional Fez colour palette. The hues of the sky fold into the space through simple geometric patterns, gradually evolving into classic #zellige motifs.

Jun

Making A Stand

MAKING A STAND

15th of June 2023

LEEDS – YORKSHIRE, UK: Today (Thursday 15th June) commuters and visitors arriving into Leeds city centre have been greeted by an extraordinary sight. A remarkable sculptural ‘forest’ has taken root in the main public square outside Leeds railway station.

Comprising 127 seven-metre-high timber fins, this quietly powerful temporary installation entitled ‘Making A Stand’, aims to ‘disrupt’ the popular pedestrian route by creating an awe-inspiring artwork using commercially grown timber ‘borrowed’ from the construction supply chain, which can be repurposed when the work is dismantled at the end of the year.

Amidst the ongoing discourse surrounding climate protests and their impact on everyday lives, ‘Making A Stand’ is a thought-provoking artistic intervention that invites people to pause, explore and contemplate major environmental issues in a visually striking and provocative manner.

The installation is co-created by acclaimed visual artist Michael Pinsky (whose work is known for challenging the status quo on climate change and urban design), and award-winning environmental architects Studio Bark. It is one of 12 signature projects commissioned as part of LEEDS 2023’s transformational Year of Culture, and is inspired by the city’s origins as a forested area called Leodis over a thousand years ago, which gave rise to the name ‘Leeds’.

The co-creators of ‘Making A Stand’ aim to draw attention to the urgent need for the built environment industry to replace carbon-intensive materials like concrete and steel with more sustainable alternatives, such as timber. The project aims to ignite a conversation surrounding material life cycles and to demonstrate that large-scale, temporary art can also be created in a sustainable way.

The timber fins, which have been ‘borrowed’ from the supply chain at the point between felling and stacking, are positioned vertically making them quite literally ‘stand up’ like a ‘stand’[1] of trees in nature. The fins work together with a webbed canopy of steel wire ropes and steel struts, acting in tension and compression to ensure minimal damage to the wood so that it can be repurposed at the end of the year, minimizing waste while maximising opportunities for carbon capture and storage.

The project uses timber felled from sustainable forests in the UK where wood is grown for use in construction. Sliced into ‘fins’ by Whitney Sawmills in Herefordshire, the final stages of fabrication took place at Stage One, a specialist fabricator based near York.

Sep

Natural Cycle

Roadsworth

Natural Cycle

Roadsworth

As part of our new arts strategy X Marks the Spot for King’s Cross we have invited Roadsworth to create a mini-city with streets, pavements and crossings, combining natural elements which can been seen in Camley Street Nature Park.

Here, children of all ages can learn how to be a confident cyclist in a safe environment. Habits learnt at young age tend to stay with us for life. If a child then chooses to use the bike not the car as their primary mode of transport the carbon savings over their lifetime can be huge.

Just over twenty years ago, street artist Peter Gibson aka Roadsworth began taking to the streets of Montreal in the early mornings, spray-painting cyclist symbols on roads to protest the lack of bike lanes and paths in the city. As the number of Roadsworth’s arrest warrants mounted, his controversial street images turned the pavement into politics rekindling the debate about the nature of public art. After narrowly evading the Canadian penal system, Roadsworth went on to use his particular quirky and humorous approach to street design across the world, working with Cirque du Soleil, Tour de France and Banksy’s Can’s Festival. His approach of blending art and activism can be seen in his collaborations with organisations such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International.

X Marks the Spot is a five year are programme curated by Clare Philips and Michael Pinsky
Natural Cycle is located in Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross N1
Natural Cycle is open daily and will be in-situ until October 15th 2022

Sep

Pollution Pods tour UK & Australia

Michael Pinsky: Pollution Pods tour UK & Australia

Pollution Pods land in Greater Manchester for Clean Air Week 2019
Media City Piazza, Salford M50 2QH17 June – 23 June 2019
Media Launch 5pm on 17 June.

A series of domes will recreate the pollution from London, Beijing, São Paulo, New Delhi and Tautra in Norway. Forming a ring in the centre of Jack Poole Plaza, visitors will pass through the 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 called Tautra, will use an Airlabs filter to remove all harmful gases to create fresh air. A smorgasbord of metropolises will 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.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Air pollution is a major public health risk and we have to take urgent steps to tackle the issue in Greater Manchester. It’s also vital that we raise awareness of the health impacts of poor air quality. These Pollution Pods provide a really innovative and interesting way of allowing people to safely experience poor air quality for themselves and I would urge anyone who can make it to come along and find out more”.

On Thursday 13th a team of air quality scientists from Kings College in London will be on site working with Manchester schools to better inform our youngsters what causes pollution and how we all need to be part of the solution – walking to school, bicycling, using clean public transport. Clean Air Week itself aims to increase awareness of dirty air, which contributes to the equivalent of 1,200 deaths in Greater Manchester each year, as well as the simple changes we can all take to make our region’s air cleaner. This year the focus is on encouraging people to try walking and cycling for more of their short journeys.

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. The tour of Pollution Pods is managed by Cape Farewell. Pollution cocktails created are by IFF‘s global network of scent experts and dispersed using Aroma technology.

Portland to host Pollution Pods
Presented in association with b-side
Portland, Stadium Bowl, Fortuneswell, Portland DT529 June – 1 July 2019

Launch event 28 June, 5pm – 7pm
b-side Assemblies 04: Making Art in Times of Crisis
Join artists Michael Pinsky, Leni Dothan and writer and Extinction Rebellion activist Sara Hudston for a lively and incisive discussion. Both artists have made work in response to the ever-increasing threat of pollution, this event includes a tour of ‘Pollution Pods’ and a screening of “Age of Smoke: Painting the Predator” a BatFish Films short documentary directed by Naima Vogt and Martine Stephen, and co-produced by Thais Martin. The film tells the story of Israeli artist Leni Dothan’s year-long collaboration with a team of chemists from UCL, during which they developed a series of pollution-reactive sculptures to raise public awareness about the danger of pollution in London. The film follows the team from start to finish as they prepare to exhibit ‘The Portland Stone Rehabilitation Centre’ at the 2018 b-side Festival.

This event is co-presented by Cape Farewell and b-side.
For more information

Pollution Pods at Science Gallery Melbourne
Treasury Gardens,Spring St, East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia22 August – 1 September 2019. Closed Sunday 25 August
Keynote public talk at the University of Melbourne, 20 August

The Pollution Pods will have a twilight opening in Melbourne on 22nd August 2019, centre stage at the White Night Festival before a further week-long opening as part of Melbourne Science Gallery’s DISPOSABLE season.

This event is co-presented by Science Gallery Melbourne and White Nights

Oct

Autumn Newsletter 2018

Pollution Pods – Place des Nations

1202 Genève, Switzerland

29 Oct – 2 Nov 2018

Pollution Pods will be exhibited for the World Health Organisation ‘s first global conference on air pollution.

A series of domes will recreate the pollution from London, Beijing, São Paulo, New Delhi and Tautra in Norway. Forming a ring in the centre of the iconic Place des Nations, visitors will pass through the 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.

Pollution Pods – Klimahaus
Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8 ° Ost
Am Längengrad 8, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany9 Nov – 9 Dec 2018

Pollution Pods will be hosted by this innovative museum which allows visitors to travel the world to help them understand the global impact of climate change.

More information

Place Lalla Yeddouna – nearing completion
Fez Medina, MoroccoPlace Lalla Yeddouna in the heart of the Fez’s Medina, designed by Mossessian & Partners, contains seven courtyards for which Michael Pinsky has created patterns appropriating both the ancient tradition of Zellige design and the sixties tradition of minimalism.

Public Art Commission – Eaux-Vives station
Geneva, SwitzerlandMichael Pinsky’s proposals for an artistic intervention on the perimeter of the new Eaux-Vives station, designed by Jean Nouvel are are now being considered by the Contemporary Art Fund of the City of Geneva. Other shortlisted artists include: Rosa Barba, Kim Sooja and Dider Marcel.

Public Art Commission – California Air Resources Board (CARB)
Riverside County, California, USAMichael Pinsky has been shortlisted by the California Air Resources Board and Dyson & Womack to create a permanent artistic intervention for their new campus in California.

www.carb.dysonwomack.com

IFRA UK 2018 Fragrance Forum
The Wellcome Collection
London, United Kingdom10 Oct 2018

Lizzie Ostrom will explore the emerging trend for using ambient scent to create mood and special effects in a variety of settings. Pollution Pods by Michael Pinsky, will be used to demonstrate animation of public health issues through scent, the psychological impact of bad air quality and promoting a visceral reaction through aromas.

Book a place

WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health
WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland31 Oct 2018

Michael Pinsky has been invited to give a panel presentation as part of a session highlighting communication, advocacy and partnerships.

More Information

TEDxFreiburg 2018
Konzerthaus Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany8 Dec 2018

Michael Pinsky has been invited to give a TEDx talk exploring whether art can save the world.

www.tedxfreiburg.com

Apr

Film Articles for Pollution Pods

Feb

Artist’s led collaboration for £2m improvement project in West Bay

Pinsky will be part of a cross-disciplinary team of engineers, planners and consultants. The West Bay work is part of the wider Dorset Coastal Connections portfolio of 18 projects. The portfolio is funded by the Coastal Community Fund and coordinated by the Dorset Coast Forum. The Arts Development Company is working collaboratively with Dorset Coast Forum and the individual project teams. The project will continue until Summer 2019.

Cleo Evans, Art and Environment Lead at the Arts Development Company, said:

‘It’s fantastic to have an artist of this calibre working on West Bay. His work is internationally renowned and exceptionally high quality.’

The project a covers a new central ‘Hub’, the construction of a boardwalk and viewing platform on East Beach, enhancements to the West Beach promenade and the creation of a cycle path between West Bay and Bridport.

Jun

Pollution Pods launch at Starmus

June 18, 2017 – July 7, 2017

A series of domes containing pollution from cities around the world will be placed in the Norwegian city of Trondheim as part of an investigation by psychologists to ascertain whether art can really change people’s perception of climate change.

Five interconnected geodesic domes will contain carefully mixed recipes emulating the relative presence of ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide which pollute London, New Delhi, San Paolo and Beijing. Starting from a coastal location in Norway, the visitor will pass through increasingly polluted cells, from dry and cold locations to hot and humid.

The release of toxic gases from domestic and industrial sources both increase the rate of global warming and have a direct effect on our present-day health. In the West, in cities such as London, one in five children suffer from asthma, whilst in the developing countries such as Delhi, over half the children have stunted lung development and will never completely recover.

Whilst those in the developed world live in an environment with relatively clean air, people in countries such as China and India are being poisoned by the airborne toxins created from industries fulfilling orders from the West. The experience of walking through the pollution pods demonstrates that these worlds are interconnected and interdependent. The desire for ever cheaper goods is reflected in the ill-health of many people in world and in the ill-health of our planet as a whole. Within this installation we will be able to feel, taste and smell the toxic environments that are the norm for a huge swathe of the world’s population.

Pollution Pods has been commissioned by NTNU as part of Climart a four-year research project that examines the underlying psychological mechanisms involved in both the production and reception of visual art using these findings in an attempt to unite the natural sciences to the visual arts. The project is funded by the Norwegian Research Council and is housed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway.

Pollution Pods will be shown as part of the STARMUS festival in Trondheim, Norway. The STARMUS festival is an international gathering focused on celebrating astronomy, space exploration, music and art. Scientists and astronomers including Stephen Hawking and Buzz Aldrin will be speaking as part of this festival.

Norwegian Research Council
Build With Hubs
The Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU)
Airlabs
University of East London

If you would like to attend the launch event please email here for more information.

Pollution Pods is located on Festning, 7014 Trondheim. 63°25’42.0″N 10°24’44.1″E
https://goo.gl/maps/LfDHpmG9TfN2
Opening hours
Tuesday -Saturday 12.00 – 20.00
Sunday 12.00 – 18.00

All the Tyres in Iceland on show at NDSM, Amsterdam

Pollution Pods at the International Cervantino Festival

Place Lalla Yeddouna shortlisted for Aga Khan Award for Architecture

Making A Stand

MAKING A STAND

15th of June 2023

LEEDS – YORKSHIRE, UK: Today (Thursday 15th June) commuters and visitors arriving into Leeds city centre have been greeted by an extraordinary sight. A remarkable sculptural ‘forest’ has taken root in the main public square outside Leeds railway station.

Natural Cycle

Natural Cycle

Roadsworth

Pollution Pods tour UK & Australia

Autumn Newsletter 2018

Film Articles for Pollution Pods

Artist’s led collaboration for £2m improvement project in West Bay

Pollution Pods launch at Starmus

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