Inhalato­rium

Reducing air pollution and lowering carbon emissions has been on Europe’s agenda for a while now. Similar to objects, air circulates among us, always intertwined in relational dynamics—what one person exhales, a tree may absorb, and so on, forming a continuous exchange from airplane filters to human lungs. The abundance of fresh air and the dormant air spa towns in the Northern Black Forest region are an admirable common good. Within the theme 'Inhalatorium', Ornamenta takes reference from the historic breathing caves to the ornate smoke of shisha pipes, to figure out how we can relate more consciously to the invisible element that surrounds us. The Ornamenta programme shares new insights on sharing air, in an exhibition on felt and fumes, a listening event inside a healing grotto, and a moving public artwork that rolls through forested landscapes, timber-framed historic villages, and typical Baden-Württemberg fields.