Environment

London's Latest Exhibit: Horrendous Pollution

An exhibit invites the public to experience the air from five cities around the world.
Pollution Pods by Michael Pinsky at Somerset House for Earth Day.(c) Peter MacDiarmid for Somerset House

Standing in the middle of London, you can get a taste of Beijing’s air.

In fact, it tastes and smells like the aftermath of a house fire, at least if an installation outside London’s Somerset House is to be believed. Built for Earth Day by artist Michael Pinsky and Danish air filtering company Airlabs, the exhibit recreates the smell, heat, and haze of four notoriously polluted cities: London, New Delhi, Beijing, and Sao Paulo.