2024
WADI HANIFAH
Stanza’s Out of Breath: A-Life Support Machine (2021) is an audiovisual installation illustrating the harmful impact of air pollution on nature and cities. Based on eco-visualization, art that translates ecological data, the artwork uses software to collect information on nitrogen dioxide gas levels from 120 cities.
These numbers are mapped out on a ‘breathing’ tree with artificial intelligence. Strips of LED lights outline the tree branches, pulsating red in tandem with the sounds of breathing. Stanza’s machine learning algorithm converts the data into binary patterns, helping the plant to inhale and exhale.
When there is a spike in nitrogen dioxide, a gas notorious for damaging the lungs, the breathing becomes laborious. The artwork urgers viewers to reflect on polluting habits and reconnect with their ecosystem.