Urbanism: The Contaminated Skies


Research Topic
The phenomenon of urbanisation may have a lot of benefits to a society, but it may also have a few drawbacks that could be harmful and and life threatening.

Background
As you know, the atmosphere has a natural way of supporting life on planet Earth. With a complicated natural gaseous system, all living organisms including human beings need oxygen to survive.
One of the effects of urbanisation is, air pollution from vehicles. The increasing number of vehicles today due to modernisation has made Earth's ecosystem a threat and not to forget a major threat to the human health.

Air pollutant is the substance that is found in the air known to cause harm to the environment and humans. It can be classified as a primary process that is directly given out from the exhaust of vehicles to the chimney of factories. Another classification is the secondary pollutants that is indirectly emitted out to the environment, but they are rather formed due to the reaction or interaction of the primary pollutants.

Examples of primary pollutants are sulfur oxide that are produced from volcanoes and various industrial processes Nitrogen oxide, which are emitted from high temperature combustion. This can normally be identified as a reddish brown toxic gas that has a very sharp and biting odor. Carbon monoxide, an odorless, colourless and very poisonous gas, usually from vehicular exhaust.

Examples of secondary pollutants are particulate matter formed from gaseous primary pollutants and compounds in photochemical smog. Smog is a kind of air pollution, a portmanteau of smoke and fog.

Problem Identification
The problem is how to create an awareness about air pollution. Questions to be tackled are
- How to trigger awareness among society.
- How to make an impact through art.
- How to create a media art installation that would attract attention.
- What are the factors that can make society realize the dangers of air pollution.

Aim and Objectives
This project is to create an awareness to the society about the dangers of air pollution through the use of art installation. The objectives is to motivate and to educate society for a better and healthier living in an urban environment.

Motivation
My motivations comes from the article and videos below.
Pollution free Diwali in Tamil Nadu village

Kittampalayam, Oct 26 (ANI): villagers here celebrated the festival of Diwali on Tuesday without bursting firecrackers to make their area pollution free and spread awareness about environment.

President of the village council, Jyothimani Ramaswamy, said that earlier they followed the customary practice of bursting crackers but since the time when birds began flocking their area, they stopped this practice as the crackers frighten the birds and animals.

“Earlier we used to burn crackers but after the birds started to inhabit this area, we discontinued with the tradition of bursting crackers. We now celebrate Diwali by exchanging sweets,” said Ramaswamy.

Locals walked on the village streets, beating drums and urging villagers to not burst firecrackers to protect the birds and environment.

“Birds inhabit our village in large numbers and we feel very happy about it. We want these birds to stay in the village. So, we celebrate Diwali in a quiet and peaceful manner and do not burst crackers,” said Kuppamma, a local.(ANI)
Source: http://truthdive.com/2011/10/26/Pollution-free-Diwali-in-Tamil-Nadu-village.html

Ideation and Concept
As for the concept design, it will be an art installation that can create awareness among the audience through visual and sound. I final execution has yet to be decided.

Review, Analysis and Precedence Studies

Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that is warming Earth. Though living things emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, carbon dioxide is widely considered to be a pollutant when associated with cars, planes, power plants, and other human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. In the past 150 years, such activities have pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years.

Other greenhouse gases include methane—which comes from such sources as swamps and gas emitted by livestock—and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants until they were banned because of their deteriorating effect on Earth's ozone layer.
Source: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/


Air pollution is responsible for major health effects.  Every year, the health of countless people is ruined or endangered by air pollution.

Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways.  Just how sick people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed to, in what concentrations, and for how long.

Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the US alone could be over 50,000.

Older people are highly vulnerable to diseases induced by air pollution.  Those with heart or lung disorders are under additional risk.  Children and infants are also at serious risk.
Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/air_pollution.html