Galway exhibition turns air pollution data into immersive public experience
‘The Air We Share’ combines art, science and community to explore air quality and climate through a new lens
Galway Arts Centre, in conjunction with Galway City Council, has launched a new exhibition that seeks to engage the public on environmental health and air pollution. Developed between artists, climate scientists and local communities, the exhibition features artworks that translate real-time air quality data into immersive artworks, highlighting the hidden impact of air pollution on our shared environment.
The exhibition is the culmination of a ten-month artist-in-residence programme at the heart of ‘The Air We Share’ – a collaborative climate action initiative that explores the causes, impacts and potential solutions to air pollution through art, citizen science and community action. The initiative is led by Galway City Council and forms part of the Council’s broader climate action plan, which aims to cut carbon emissions by over 50% within the next five years and improve air quality citywide.
Working closely with scientists from University of Galway and residents of Galway’s Westside – a designated decarbonising zone – the commissioned artists were asked to “make the invisible visible” by creatively interpreting air quality data and fostering public engagement on climate action.
The resulting works include:
Leon Butler’s Phosphene – a digital installation that transforms air quality data captured across Galway city in real time into sculptural and digital forms, inviting visitors to rethink how we experience and respond to environmental information.
Christopher Steenson’s Where does the body end – an ambient sound installation that takes the idea of the atmosphere as a physical body to explore our connection to the world through breath. Incorporating writing, sculpture and kinetic elements, the piece draws on concepts from philosophy and meditation to create an evolving soundscape that responds to live air quality data detected in the gallery.
The 9 Freedoms for the Air by a place of their own – a large collective textile artwork created jointly with the Westside community through a series of participatory workshops with scientists and legal experts, imagining future air rights.
“Each of these works shows the power of creative practice in unlocking complex issues,” said Director and Curator at Galway Arts Centre, Megs Morley. “Together, they show how art can deepen public understanding of climate and environmental health, and inspire local responses to global challenges.”
Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Leonard Cleary, added: “Air pollution is one of the most urgent public health challenges we face. ‘The Air We Share’ forms an important part of a wider suite of actions in our climate action plan. Raising awareness and fostering deeper community engagement are essential to meeting our goals. These commissions show how creativity can open up new ways of thinking about environmental health, and how turning scientific data into shared experience can empower people to act.”
Dr Liz Coleman from the University of Galway’s Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, one of the partners in the initiative, emphasised that data alone doesn’t shift behaviour. “This collaboration with artists and the public has helped transform abstract data into something people can feel and respond to – a vital step in making air quality a priority and supporting meaningful collective change.”
The exhibition opens to the public this Saturday, 16th August at 2pm with a launch reception, and runs until Sunday, 21st September. Entry is free and a full programme of talks, tours and public events will run alongside the exhibition. For details, visit galwayartscentre.ie.
‘The Air We Share’ is a recipient of the Creative Climate Action Fund, an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme, funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport in collaboration with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. The fund supports creative, cultural and artistic projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural transformations.
For further information, visit www.theairweshare.ie.
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