Is your next breath indoors safe?

Outdoor air quality in big Asian cities is notoriously bad. Yet Philips Singapore, who makes air purifiers, says indoor air quality can be up to 30 times more polluted.

Geometry Global Singapore set out to dramatise this problem for Philips, making the invisible visible. Together with artist Nils Völker, they created the Breathing Wall, a tech-art installation of hundreds of plastic bags, 384 concealed fans and micro-controllers.

In response to surrounding air quality, the wall inflated and deflated like massed rows of lungs. Messages displaying educational, sometimes shocking, information on indoor air pollutants and their dangers surrounded the display.

In malls and other venues, fascinated onlookers immersed themselves in the installation, averaging three minutes of engagement. Philips’ air purifier sales went up 17% during the exhibition period of the Breathing Wall.