Background / Context
In its 2030 Agenda, the UN has identified limiting the impacts of climate change as essential for sustainable development. The International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD2022) was proclaimed for 2022–23, and the “Citizen Science for Planetary Health” conference—organized by the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA)—is taking place in Berlin this October. These organizations agree that climate projections—unlike weather forecasts—rely on less precise models and that the established global goals can only be achieved through the involvement of all levels, extending down to local and individual actors.
The INSPIRE project addresses priority Sustainable Development Goals by linking the current elevation of basic sciences to the complex of “Human, Health, Habitat, and Heritage” (encompassing both natural and cultural heritage). In this context, breathing and air serve as symbols of the world’s vital dynamics and as a model for an expanded environmental consciousness.
The INSPIRE project addresses the interdependence of human and “planetary” health by interlinking artistic, scientific, and popular perspectives and focusing on concrete, measurable solutions. The project’s name encapsulates the multifaceted nature of the Latin roots *spirare* (to breathe), *spira* (coil/spiral), and *spiritus* (breath, wind, breath of life, divine breath, inspiration) into a single call to action: “Breathe in and out—and inspire the world.”
INSPIRE aims to (1) present locally measured air quality indices (based on health assessments of pollutants such as O3 [ozone], NO2 [nitrogen dioxide], and PM10 [fine particulate matter/alveolar dust]) and individually measured lung capacity in a more precise, vivid, and tangible way than previously possible, and (2) correlate these two sets of data directly—a first for this type of project. This requires a custom-developed spirometer (a device for measuring lung capacity) that will be specifically manufactured, programmed, tested, and deployed.
Project Description
In its current stage of development, the ΔNIMΔ ΔPP serves as an artistic experimental setup designed to expand the scope of visualizing the confluence of global, local, and individual air currents and to interpret them in a more profound and proactive manner. As such, it constitutes a necessary prerequisite for the INSPIRE project: it relies on (1) current data and real-world inputs from various research institutions (such as the German Environment Agency, the Air Quality Open Data Platform, and the Global Carbon Atlas) while simultaneously requiring (2) support through individual usage. The INSPIRE project marks the first time these local and individual inputs have been linked to hardware (a custom spirometer) and software (ΔNIMΔ ΔPP) that are—also for the first time—freely available. The result is an innovative visualization of the connections between breathing patterns and air quality, serving as the foundation for further investigation.
The INSPIRE project aims to employ various interactive art performances to test the integration of respiratory interfaces (spirometers) with linked local and global databases, thereby further developing their modes of representation in a playful manner involving as many participants as possible. This generates both artistic and potential scientific added value. Furthermore, the project establishes a deliberately open, digitally supported engagement structure; its reach and responsiveness are intended to foster heightened environmental awareness and encourage corresponding actions.
Developing the custom spirometer application involves two key components: first, the production of hardware to serve as the respiratory interface (a mouthpiece for blowing); and second, the writing of source code to connect the spirometer to the project’s own software (ΔNIMΔ ΔPP) via Bluetooth.
This enables participants to:
(1) Individually check their lung capacity at any time, playfully familiarizing themselves with identifying changes in this vital function and ultimately taking proactive steps to prevent conditions such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and COPD.
(2) Automatically receive information about local air quality; this allows for the archiving of two interrelated, precise measurements, facilitating cumulative—and thus long-term—monitoring of both metrics and their reciprocal dynamics.
(3) Utilize the INSPIRE project as a tool for employing the spirometer as an innovative respiratory interface—an area that has received little exploration in artistic contexts to date (cf. the “International Conference on Live Interfaces” [ICLI]). The potential to use this system for making music offers an additional method for representing and analyzing the underlying data, a possibility to be explored in future projects already in the planning stages.
Target Audience and Objectives
The ∆NIM∆ ∆PP—already developed in its basic form—is creating a participatory collection focused on human-induced environmental changes, aiming to go beyond current forms of participation found in museums and research institutions. In doing so, concepts such as “Citizen Science” and “Planetary Health” are being further developed in the public sphere under the banner of CITIZEN ΔRT & SCIENCE.
A primary target audience consists of younger art enthusiasts belonging to the “digital native” generation, for whom heightened environmental awareness is an integral part of their identity. Additionally, the project addresses the general public, aiming to strengthen their understanding of art—as well as the relevance of art and art education—through public activities. Last but not least, the project is designed to be utilized specifically for art education initiatives in schools.
The project’s benefits can also be demonstrated in concrete figures: the cost of standard commercial spirometers (ranging up to mid-three-figure euro amounts) makes them ill-suited for individual, spontaneous, and regular (preventive) use. Furthermore, licensing fees (reaching up to mid-five-figure euro amounts) tend to prevent developers and artists from integrating these devices with third-party software—such as our ∆NIM∆ ∆PP—for their own applications. Through the production of a proprietary spirometer and accompanying software—linked to our free ∆NIM∆ ∆PP—our INSPIRE project aims to facilitate widespread use of these monitoring and preventive tools for assessing air and respiratory quality. The INSPIRE project will inspire thousands of people to conveniently check their lung capacity using the device, delve deeper into this complex subject matter, and engage more intensively with the consequences of climate change. Ultimately, our goal is also to use art to raise awareness of the aforementioned themes—particularly the fact that individual contributions of this kind are relevant to the success of art projects ranging from the local to the global scale, just as they are to solving problems of global significance.
The INSPIRE project addresses—in a concrete and thematically focused manner—the transformations in hybrid exhibition and engagement practices by utilizing its own ∆NIM∆ app and linking it to the ancient motif of the same name: a principle that permeates all life. Like *spira* and *spiritus*, ∆NIM∆ signifies the soul, breath, exhalation, air, and wind. Yet, the INSPIRE project is largely grounded in concrete measurements and scientifically derived data, inspiring individual action with an eye toward collective responsibility for both personal and “planetary” health.
In this context, contemporary art is interpreted as a site of innovative transmedial activity, and artistic work is understood as an ongoing process in which forms of engagement can be designed to be either temporary or enduring. The further development of experimental engagement formats is an essential component of this understanding of art, which views itself as an indispensable interface connecting the art world with the political, scientific, and general public.
