St John's College Oxford installs air pollution pods

St John's College installed visual artist Michael Pinsky's 'Pollution Pods' on October 21 in its front quad to allow Oxford residents to "travel the world" and experience the air quality of four different cities.

The pods have already had over 2,600 visitors.

Each dome is connected in a circle and recreates the air quality of a different global city through a carefully curated recipe emulating the relative presence of ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

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President of the college, Professor Dame Sue Black, said: "St John’s College is committed to supporting our local community.

The pods allow visitors to experience the climate of four different cities. (Image: John Cairns/St John's College)

"We are proud to work in partnership with many local organisations, including the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Preservation Trust, and local primary schools.

"St John’s is delighted to be supporting the Pollution Pods as part of the ‘Everything is Connected’ programme this autumn.

"We look forward to welcoming visitors to experience Michael Pinsky’s Pollution Pods in our front quad and to raising awareness of the impact of air pollution on health.”

The pollution pods are open from 1pm to 5pm on Monday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday up to November 5.

Mr Pinsky said: "Through my installation, I aim to draw attention to the significant detrimental effects of air pollution on our health, urging a collective reconsideration of our urban mobility patterns."

The pods are located in the front quad of St John's College. (Image: John Cairns/St John's College)

“For many cities, air pollution remains a pressing concern, yet it is only a select few that are taking proactive measures to combat this critical issue, and Oxford stands proudly among them."

The pods are open to all ages, though are recommended for children aged five and above, and are wheelchair accessible.

The college has said they were installed safely and do not carry any health risks.

Installation of the pods was arranged by the Cultural Programme at University of Oxford as part of 'Everything is Connected' - a project which will run throughout October and November.

This will see a series of pop-up events, both live and online, hosted across the city.

The pods were developed as part of Climart, an interdisciplinary and international research project. (Image: John Cairns/St John's College)

Mr Pinsky added: "Transforming transportation habits and advocating against car usage can be a contentious endeavour, but history shows us that courageous cities ultimately reap the rewards, as evidenced by thriving urban centres like Amsterdam and most recently Paris."

Mr Pinsky was born in Leadburn near Edinburgh.

He specialises in media such as video, performance, mapping systems and sculpture to explore geopolitical aspects of a particular site.