Air Oasis: BreatheCore-7

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.