Case study: This is the air we breathe

Case study:
This is the air we breathe.
http://www.sproutreach.com/blog/design-for-environmental-causes/the-air-we-breathe/

Jenny Bergström, a designer and researcher in Stockholm, used a flock printing technique to display air pollution over time in an urban environment.

An excerpt from her website:

This is the air we breathe… provides instant feedback on our actions in the city. By using a technique for printing called ‘flock’ a dirt absorbing text or pattern can be printed on a less dirt absorbing surface and create a slow but direct response on pollution. People passing every day by car will be reminded of how they effect the urban environment.

In the city we are used to being approached by information from almost all directions. The commercialized urban environment consists of messages, constantly fighting for our attention, loud and/or with rapidly moving images. This is the air we breathe… uses another method in order to communicate. It demands time from the receiver and it does not deliver a straight answer.

I found it is quite interesting that the drivers can see what was happening. Invisible became visible. Design for awareness like this can have impact on fear. How design can manipulate fear? What rules can be followed by using fear? Is it working better than optimistic attitude?