PURE AIR
PURE AIR, transportation of cylinder (exp. 3) 01, 2023
PURE AIR, cylinder “Reinhard”, 2023
PURE AIR
Nine steel SCBA air tanks filled with Swiss mountain Air
64cm x 16cm x 16cm each
Pure Air comprises nine SCBA air tanks once used by firefighters to breathe clean, non-toxic air in hazardous environments. Each cylinder has been refilled with air from a different location, transforming them into atmospheric time capsules of those places.
Transported, alongside generators and air compressors, to remote sites in the Alps, the cylinders were filled with air from landscapes often perceived as pristine, embodying a broader visual and cultural conception of “nature.” These journeys became exchanges not only of air but also of ideas: how we imagine the natural world, and how we relate to something as intangible as atmospheric pressure. Air itself is transparent to our senses, it cannot be captured in a photograph or video. Instead, recipients are invited into an act of creation, becoming the sole authors of a constructed reality of nature.
As part of the research to further analyze how the imaginative dimension of air contributes to the formation of realities and influences our perception of particularly Swiss air – often regarded as pure and pristine, we collaborated with Dr. Michael Sprenger and Dr. Hanna Joos from the group for atmospheric dynamics at ETH Zurich. Together, we conducted trajectory calculations of the captured air probes. This collaborative initiative has evolved into a new project aimed at deepening our understanding of the interconnectedness of all life, the concept of air movement, and global consciousness. It is set to be released at the end of 2024.
Trajectory calculations of exp.3
Transportation of cylinder (exp. 5) 07