Belgian artist creates Covid free portable bubble using aromatic plants

‘Portable Oasis’ contains rosemary, lavender and thyme

Belgian artist Alain Verschueren wears his “Portable Oasis” (REUTERS)

Belgium artist Alain Verschueren has created a Covid-free bubble called “Portable Oasis” that can be worn in place of a face covering during the pandemic.

The Oasis is a “plexiglass mini-greenhouse” that rests on the shoulder, covering the user in “a bubble of purified air by the aromatic herbs and plants inside.”

The 61-year-old artist developed the idea 15 years ago and it has recently gained attention due to the pandemic.

Verschueren, who has asthma and finds breathing through a face mask difficult, said: “It was about creating a bubble in which I could lock myself in, to cut myself off a world that I found too dull, too noisy or smelly.

“As time went by, I noticed that people were coming up to me and talking to me. This isolation became much more a way of connecting.”

Onlookers were surprised after looking at the artist roaming in a pod full of rosemary, lavender, and thyme.

One person wrote on Twitter: “This made me laugh so hard for about five minutes and now I can finally retweet it. It sure puts a new twist on spending time in your garden!! I’d fill it with herbs.”

“Get it. Love this guy. He’s combined Happy 420 with Happy Earth Day 2021 and we’re all better for it,” wrote film director Emma Tattenbaum-Fine.