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BREATHE


NOI Techpark, Bolzano Italy, 13.06. – 09.08.2024        View more

ETH Zurich, Zurich Switzerland, 26.09. – 02.11.2024        View more
Modern Art Museum Shanghai, China, 2025        View more


About the project

Through the calculation of air parcels from each public exhibition space, the historical journey of every visitor’s breath is tracked and simultaneously constructed. This mixture of imagination and scientific data is fueled by real-time calculations conducted by Dr. Michael Sprenger and Dr. Hanna Joos at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Heini Wernli. Learn more about the science

BREATHE proposes a questioning of human belief systems, confronting the public with arranged facts and making intercontinental connections felt within one’s own body. The individual integrates into the collective mass of the atmosphere, revealing the concept of absolute independence as an illusion: everything is conditional on everything else.

The results of these calculations, delineating the air’s journey, complete with city names and timestamps, are exhibited in ticker font, either as a projection or on LED screens. The scrolling text, reminiscent of stock tickers cascading across Wall Street skyscrapers, echoes the ambiance of high-stakes trading. Air, clouds, and water are suggested as potential new commodities in a world driven by trade. Alongside the cities and timestamps, excerpts from conversations with scientists, poems, and other materials collected and created during the calculation processes are projected.


Learn more about the science here






Details & MaterialPartners & Collaborators

2024 – 2025
32000 Lumen projection 1 channel
LED-Screen video 1 channel
Varying length (daily calculations)

Size Zürich:
25m x 4m

Size Bolzano:
40m x 5m

Size Washington, D.C.:
4m x 2m (LED-installation)

Size China:
16m x 2,5m (LED-installation)


ETH Zürich
D-USYS
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science
Group for Atmospheric Dynamics
Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C., United States
Swissnex
Modern Art Museum Shanghai
Shanghai Climate Week
Shanghai Climate Ring