Decontamination Unit

Nick Ferguson 2001. Decontamination Unit. Ozone sterilizing machine, Co2 sensor, ventilation fan, double doors, fittings. Installation View. Chelsea College of Art & Design

Nick Ferguson 2001. Decontamination Unit. Exterior view. Chelsea College of Art & Design

Nick Ferguson 2001. Decontamination Unit. Ozone sterilizing machine, Co2 sensor, ventilation fan, double doors, fittings. Installation View. Chelsea College of Art & Design

Nick Ferguson 2001. Decontamination Unit. Ozone sterilizing machine, Co2 sensor, ventilation fan, double doors, fittings. Installation View. Chelsea College of Art & Design

Nick Ferguson 2001. Decontamination Unit. Ozone sterilizing machine, Co2 sensor, ventilation fan, double doors, fittings. Installation View. Chelsea College of Art & Design

Nick Ferguson 2001. Decontamination Unit. Ozone sterilizing machine, Co2 sensor, ventilation fan, double doors, fittings. Installation View. Chelsea College of Art & Design

Decontamination Unit (2001) is an immersive environment installed at Chelsea College of Art, UAL, in support of the MA degree award. It comprises a purpose built room with two sets of double doors and a ventilator, an ozone sanitiser and a Co2 sensor. When levels of Co2 in the room rise, as happens when the room is entered, the air is sanitized through the production of ozone. Ozone is an oxidising compound harmful to life but effective against bacteria and viruses harmful to life. 0.5 – 2.5 ppm  ozone level is adequate for air disinfection. The installation forms part of a body of work exploring anxieties around migration and contagion in the UK. It is accompanied by the essay Dracula’s Bad Breath: the Migrant, the East, and the English Imaginary.

Nick Ferguson, 2001