The air quality in Louisville on Monday was predicted to be moderate. But a short rain shower cancelled a planned demonstration of a wearable piece of art that was meant to show how pollution can change from block to block.
Dominique Paul’s planned “Air Walk” in downtown Louisville was meant to showcase her art. Paul’s light-up dress is programmed to take data and change colors accordingly. And for her walk in Louisville, she hoped to measure air quality and show how it changes depending on location.
Paul’s dress specifically measures particulate matter, which has been linked to a number of health problems. The walk planned to stop at bus stops, Fourth Street Live, and the convention center construction site to let her wearable art show what’s in the air city residents breathe. Unexpected rain showers ultimately prevented the walk from taking place, but nearly two dozen students and parents still gathered to talk with Paul about her dress and discuss the specific environmental issues facing Louisville.
Paul is an artist-in-residence with Louisville’s Ideas xLab, and her walk was sponsored by the Institute for Healthy Air Water and Soil.
