Philips: Art and Science Collide to Expose Pollution in the Home

Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, has partnered with material technology studio Rainbow Winters, to create the first ever reactive artwork in the UK which responds to environmental triggers to expose indoor air pollution dangers at home. Fusing scientific study and creativity, the artwork named Emerge explores the experimental capabilities through the use of indoor air pollution sensing technology and emerging ink, serving as a visual to bring the otherwise unseen indoor air pollution to life, which is estimated to kill 4.3 million people a year. Emerge is designed to react when household air pollution levels increase through everyday tasks such as cooking and using home cleaning products. The artwork responds by ink levels increasing and saturating the artwork to bring to life the ugly effects indoor air pollution can have on our health. The artwork is then visually reversed once the air inside the home is clean, thanks to the Philips Air Purifier 2000i.

Every day, we spend a large proportion of our time indoors, where the air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Allergens and bacteria inside the home can cause discomfort to people suffering from allergies, general respiratory conditions or hay fever. The development of ‘Emerge’ by Rainbow Winters is in line with the launch of the new Philips Connected 2000i Air Purifier. It features cutting edge and purification technology to clean the air at home, capturing 99.97 percent of particles such as pollen, dust and pet hair that pass through triple filtration and is proven to reduce allergens, odours and bacteria. To trial the effects of improving air quality in the home, Philips has worked with top city influencer London Dad, who has been using the Philips Connected 2000i Air Purifier and the artwork ‘Emerge’ to serve as a household visual.

Whilst city dwellers and allergy sufferers are powerless to control the quality of outdoor air, they can monitor outdoor allergen levels and take control to improve their indoor air quality. The Air Matters app connects to the Series 2000i to track indoor and outdoor air quality. It provides allergen management advice and allows users to control the air purifier from anywhere with the connected app. Amy Winters of material technology studio, says, “If you look at the news over the last few years, cities across the world are dealing with managing air pollution levels, but it was a surprise to me learn that pollution levels in the comfort of your own home can actually be up to five times higher than outside. We don’t always act on something unless it’s right in front of us, so I was inspired to work on this project to creatively visualise indoor air pollution and raise awareness of the importance to breathe good quality air.”

Sonaiska Barber, Sr. Marketing Manager Domestic Appliances UKandI at Philips Domestic Appliances says, “Whilst the majority of people are aware of pollution levels outside their homes, the impact of poor indoor air is not as well understood. We wanted to create a visual through our partnership with Rainbow Winters to help raise awareness about pollution and air quality in the home. At Philips, we are constantly innovating to improve the air you breathe at home. This is why we have designed the Air Purifier 2000i series, which uses a unique combination of patented sensing technology (Aerasense) and an advanced purification solution (VitaShield IPS) to let you breathe cleaner and healthier air, every day.” – Medical Buyer Bureau