Hasta La Creative!

As the protectors of our lungs, the Canadian Lung Association is working to bring attention to one of the hidden causes of lung disease and death.

In honour of World Lung Day, the organization has unveiled a travelling art installation in the sky, Lungs in the Air, designed to heighten Canadians’ awareness of the effects of air pollution on our lungs. The four-story-tall inflatable lungs first soared high above East Village Park in Calgary on World Lung Day on Saturday, September 25th. Today, Wednesday, September 29th, they’re high in the Toronto sky at Roundhouse Park, and the lungs’ final stop will be at Halifax’s waterfront on Monday, October 4th.

Created by McCann Canada, the thought-provoking installation gives Canadians a view 100 feet up in the air at the awe-inspiring lungs – a powerful artistic representation illustrating that what’s happening in the air is also happening in our lungs. At each stop, representatives from the Canadian Lung Association and, in Toronto, a respirologist, are on-site to discuss lung health and answer questions. On-site signage and social posts encourage people to tag photos with #LungsInTheAir and share it with @EnvironmentCa and @GovCanHealth to demonstrate their commitment to make cleaner air a priority.

To further people’s understanding of the impact of air quality on their lungs, McCann partnered with the team at IPG sister agency Performance Art, tapping into their deep data and technology expertise to co-create www.LungsInTheAir.ca. The website’s interactive experience is fueled by an API sourcing real-time air quality data. On the site, the particles inside the visualization of lungs change colour and density to reflect the levels of each pollutant from cities across Canada. Visitors to the site are encouraged to send a message to Environment Canada to support prioritization of better air quality initiatives.