On the day Italy outlawed plastic bags [via TheSalvageNews], SENSOREE premiered the Breathing Wall. This was New Years day 2011.
In Europe, Italians are among the top consumers of plastic bags at an average of 300 bags per person per year. Not any more. Starting on January 1st, no Italian will be given a plastic bag from any shoppe.
Plastic bags cannot be recycled, so what do we do with them? Italy outlawed them. Scientists decompose them with fungus, and melt them into fuel. SENSOREE refabbed single use plastic bags into interactive architecture.
The Breathing Wall is constructed of 326 fused, recycled, plastic bags which animate with interactive media [bio.luminescent inflation proximity sensors.] It is a tunnelĀ with wall reservoirs that inflate and illuminate with human presence. The design is inspired by plankton and the impact of UV rays and plastics on their population.