In terms of spelling, ‘eairth’ is a slight modification of the word ‘earth’. But in terms of meaning, the transformation is momentous. The appearance of the word ‘air’ in the midst of ‘earth’ reveals that earthlings exist immersed in a vast ocean of air. Of the traditional four elements, it is only air that surrounds us every instant.

In terms of spelling, ‘eairth’ is a slight modification of the word ‘earth’. But in terms of meaning, the transformation is momentous. The appearance of the word ‘air’ in the midst of ‘earth’ reveals that earthlings exist immersed in a vast ocean of air. Of the traditional four elements, it is only air that surrounds us every instant. We live on the earth. We ingest water. We rely on fire. But we are permeated by air and can never be separated from it. From our first breath to our last, air enters our bodies at regular intervals when we are awake and when we sleep. Air blends the boundaries between the inside and out, between the ‘self’ and the ‘environment’. Thus, its condition constitutes our condition. And its condition is determined by the territories through which it passes, altering our chemistry and our condition before we breathe it back into the surrounding world. ‘Eairth’ was formulated with the intention of finding a way of expressing “the closely intertwined links between earth and sky, ground and world, ocean and clouds, rain and water vapor. The Eairth, then, is this living, creative world that we are fully inside; it is the intermingling of Air with water, clouds and rain, with light and shadow, and with all the heavier things residing on the ground…. It is always already here and now.”24

Duchamp
 
The artist Marcel Duchamp purchased a 50 cc glass ampoule filled with Paris air and brought it to the US as a gift for a friend in 1919. The sealed glass object was later exhibited as a readymade art piece. Duchamp might be considered a progenitor of a series of recent works of art that also feature air, although it is difficult to know if was enthralled by air as a pure mix of life-sustaining gases like nitrogen, oxygen, helium, carbon; or appalled by air as a conveyor of pollutants. In either case, he recognized that air does not merely fill space. Air has mass and weight. Earth’s gravity attracts it. 
 
a. Many eco artists who address air share HeHe’s concern about air’s toxicity, soot, noise, etc. This concern is apparent in Natalie Jeremijenko‘s Clear Skies; it consists of a mask to monitor pollution. It is also apparent in Amy Francschini (Futurefarmers) Public Cycle; this is a preemptive media AIR device to measure the CO in the surrounding air. Compare HeHe’s means of visualizing the dangerous condition of air with the visualization strategy employed by either of the artist’s mentioned above. 
 
b. Air’s physicality is emphasized in Tue Greenfort’s Two Degrees and Simon Starling’s Kakteenhaus. Both of these artworks utilize temperature (which is also invisible and formless) to help viewers become aware of air (which is invisible and formless). HeHe’s Pink Noise utilizes  sound (invisible and formless). Explore how all three artists expand the range of art experiences beyond visual stimuli.