VOC_LAB Project Statement

The VOC Lab is an exploration of how as spatial designers we can use design in virtual environments to explore what can’t be recognized in the physical world. VOC Lab explores how we perceive unhealthy living environments and how we can use these spatial semiotics to communicate indoor air pollution caused by Volatile Organic Compounds. Volatile Organic Compounds are toxic chemical compounds which hide in the materials we use in interior surface finishes. VOCs do not hold any sensory identification in the physical world. The VOC Lab explores how we might identify this air pollution in a virtual environment, where we can learn from the experience of interaction with such chemical compounds. The VOC lab allows the user to paint surfaces of the furniture in the space and observe what impact it has on the air pollution of the space. This includes an interaction with the objects in virtual space and speeding of  the natural duration in time so that the viewer can learn about how their material choices impact the space. The experience aims to discuss how we might learn about the presence of unseen toxic elements through an extension of our lived experiences in virtual reality.