The German Hygiene Museum Dresden is presenting an exhibition on the subject of air from Saturday. Beyond the purely physical properties of the invisible gas mixture, air is presented as “a locally and planetary social space,” the museum announced on Friday in Dresden. The numerous exhibits include models, works of art, photographs and installations. The exhibition “Air. One for All” can be seen until August 10, 2025.
An “air archive” awaits guests in the museum foyer. At first glance it appears to be a collection of empty vessels, they said. But more than 200 people captured air samples that had special meaning for them. For example, there is “air from the Arctic Circle. Cold and stormy”, but also the “Happy Air”, a childhood memory with the smell of a favorite dish prepared by grandma.
For a long time, the airspace was perceived as a “no man’s land” into which pollutants could be safely emitted, it was said. There is now a growing awareness that air should be seen as a global common good, for whose use binding rules and responsibilities must be agreed. According to the museum, around 300,000 people die from air pollution every year in the European Union.
The content of the exhibition moves through different ecosystems, over long periods of time and across national borders. In addition to natural and cultural science approaches, the invisible substance air can be experienced at interactive stations.
