Human Sensor LDN

Envisioned and executed by artist Kasia Molga in June of 2018, Human Sensor LDN is a digitally enhanced performance art piece that centers around Londoners’ exposure to air pollution. Dawning wearable air pollution and breathing sensors, dancer’s costumes light up concurrently in response to air pollution levels and individual breath and movement. The lights on the dancers change colour as they move throughout the streets of London, reflecting the impact of traffic congestion, lack of greenery, and smog on the long-term health of Londoners. The route begins on Euston Road, moving along the prospective ‘Euston Green Link’, a low impact alternative to walking along the busy London streets. Ending at Regent’s Place, the variety of traffic within the areas walked during the performance show the stark reality of how even small individual choices, such as choosing which road to walk down, can make a big difference. Molga worked closely with environmental scientists for King’s College London, who helped reconfigure her previous Manchester iteration of the ‘Human Sensor’ back in 2016 to fit the higher pollution levels within the city of London. Molga did work in partnership with the Euston Town BID, which could pose as a potential conflict of interest as the route taken by dancers specifically highlights the low-impact of the proposed ‘Euston Green Link’; but, such conflict of interest does not necessarily shed a negative light on the work as a whole, given that the project it is supporting would bring great benefit to Londoners who are able to opt for a route passing through the Green Link.

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Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies