Carbon dioxide is part of human life. When we breathe, we exhale carbon dioxide all the time. In the city, almost every daily activity produces carbon. Large amounts of carbon emissions are also the main cause of global warming. No matter how energy-saving and emission-reducing cities become in the future, only a huge green ecosystem can balance the large amount of carbon emissions generated by the urban population.

Shenzhen is one of the greenest cities in China. Shenzhen’s dense vegetation is not only beneficial to the ecosystem, but also a sponge for carbon absorption, allowing the city to “breathe”.

The work “City Breathing” attempts to respond to the theme of the 9th Shenzhen-Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Shenzhen), “Urban Life”. Starting from the cosmic view of energy, “City Breathing” focuses on the carbon cycle of the city in the form of an installation-visualizing the carbon emissions of an ordinary person’s daily life and establishing a connection with the carbon absorption of urban vegetation. The installation attempts to simulate the process of carbon cycle by “exhaling” and “inhaling”.

In the 7m x 7m exhibition hall, four balloon columns made of translucent membrane alternately “exhale” and “inhale” under the action of built-in fans. In the “inhale” mode, the volume of each balloon will reach 11.5 cubic meters, which is equivalent to the volume of 22.5kg of carbon dioxide produced by a Chinese person every day. The inflated balloons occupy the entire space of the exhibition hall, and the audience is “trapped” under the stainless steel cone of the brewery equipment.

Gases are invisible and intangible, but they have such a critical impact on the future of mankind. The purpose of this device is to transform the invisible into the tangible, interact with the multiple senses of the visitors, and arouse everyone’s more awareness of carbon and then take action.

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