Our sprawling cities are invading larger and larger areas of nature, which is closely related to air pollution, which is becoming an increasingly urgent problem nowadays. Installation of Eva Popla, A A designated breathing space It points out the importance and value of urban green areas, while also urging coexistence between humans and nature.
This was achieved in May A designated breathing space (Dedicated Breathing Zone) is not a project without history. Eva Bubla first copyHe developed it in Indonesia in 2019, based on his own experiences: he participated in an artist residency program in the city of Yogyakarta, where he experienced first-hand excessive urban air pollution and its effects on health. As a reflection of the deteriorating air quality, he created the opposite pole of the “Dedicated Smoking Zone”, a small-scale object embraced by plants, which was displayed at the HONF exhibition. It is a glass container structure with a breathing mask that allows direct inhalation of fresh air filtered by the plants. The project has emerged For the first time in Indonesia in 2023 at Placcc Festival Adapted to public space It was also introduced, now in Budapest, in two high-traffic locations: in the closed Lower Wharf area of Pest, and then in Nyugati Square. The larger, but still mobile, installation worked on the same principle as the first version, but due to its increased size and location, it served as an effective public intervention. Placing the work in the city allows for interaction between installation and people, and between people and people, encouraging passersby to talk and think.
This year, Eva recreated A designated breathing spaceThis time on the architectural level. For this very reason, he worked with an architect and a structural engineer to develop the project. The cabin, working with natural materials, can be interpreted as a reflection of the two previous facilities, and now defines not the plants, but the people involved. The choice of site fell on Gellért Hill, which can be pitifully called “the lungs of the city” – Air quality at the Placcc festival 2 years ago, Eva Walking smells Also tested with tools.
When we arrive at Gellérthegyi from Verejték Street, we can immediately see the breathing space, which looks like wild game in the forest, rising from the ground. As we ascend the stairs, the smell of fresh wood fills the cabin, and then, as we settle into the gently tilted seat, our gaze almost automatically turns toward the sky. Due to the shape of the composition and the use of materials, we cannot see to the side, only up and down – to the sky and the earth. Limited vision helps calm down and focus attention. You might think why would we look at anything in the sky for long minutes, but fixation tells us otherwise. Like everything else around us, air is also a place to live; It is a living environment of different organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye, so it is a very big thing. This is also emphasized by the sound installation created for the cabin, in which by breathing together we can enter an almost meditative state, while listening to the path of the air through an unusual, non-human perspective.
The installation was created as part of PLACCC Extra/Space Reservation and can be viewed until mid-August.
