Air Oasis: BreatheCore-7, 2024

Elnara Nasirli, MXNZM

Mechanical breathing tree: reclaimed walnut tree trunk, fitted with seven cylinder radial engine, motion sensor and washi paper kirigami lungs with carbon filter.

“Air Oasis" is a thought-provoking meditative installation that features a walnut tree, which died of natural causes, programmed to "breathe" mechanically to mimic an artificial lung ventilation apparatus. The installation blurs the lines between the organic and the mechanical, offering an immersive experience that speaks to our relationship with nature and the unseen vitality of plants.

The tree is also fitted with a carbon filter cotton, filtering the air with algae-driven CCS (carbon capture and storage), pointing to a future where artificial plants may take on the vital role of purifying our environment as living ecosystems decline. Through this fusion of organic form and mechanical function, the installation reflects on the unsettling possibility of a world where technology, rather than nature, sustains the balance of life and only manmade constructions are present to replicate nature's function on the planet.

Air Tax Law 710-M, adopted Nov. 7, 2139, 7378 U.N.T.S. 92 (entered into force January 14, 2140).

The last adult walnut tree in 2139 produced daily roughly 300 liters of O₂, and absorbed 32.1liters of CO₂. In compensation, each resident’s daily requirement of air filtration is as follows:

Daily adult ration per person is 550 liters of O₂ maximum, daily required quota for CO₂ clearing by law is 500 liters. Choice of model of breathing apparatus is up to the resident.

BreatheCore-7 Artificial Ventilator Specifications

The central mechanism is a replica of a 7 cylinder radial combustion engine, with its design inverted to spec to function as an artificial ventilator filtering from 47 to 510 liters of CO₂ from the air daily depending on speed of function thanks to a bioluminescent algae - driven CCS filter.

The breathing elements are 100 percent natural made from Kozo Washi paper made from the inner bark of Japanese mulberry. This particular paper is Tosa Usushi 15gsm - paper originating from Tosa, a province in Kochi Prefecture. 'Usu-shi' can be translated as 'vanishing paper’. Each assembled element incorporates the delicate art of kirigami, transforming cut and folded paper into intricate, three-dimensional biomorphic forms inspired by microscopic algae.  

Instruction for BreatheCore-7, year 2140

All plant life has been replaced by artificial lungs that filter the air.
Trees are artifacts.
Meditate to the passing of trees.
Breathe.

With 8.2 liter per cycle capacity, this BC-7 model removes 47 to 510 liters of CO₂ daily depending on speed of filtration.
Please do not exceed your ration of daily O₂ consumption and fully comply with CO₂ clearing quota (according to Air Tax law 710-M, 2139).

PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE BC-7 WHEN ITS FUNCTIONAL

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