The Air We Share makes the invisible visible, by engaging with the issue of air quality through artistic interventions, citizen science and community action in Westside, Galway.
Climate 1/2
The collection of air quality data and its interpretation and analysis forms the scientific backbone of this project. The World Health Organisation has described air pollution as the 'single biggest environmental health risk'. Facilitating community engagement with the issue will empower individuals and lead to cultural and behavioural shifts. Galway City is one of 30 'Pilot Cities' in Europe, working to reduce carbon emissions as part of the European Union Net Zero Cities Pilot Cities programme. The Air We Share is working closely alongside the Net Zero Cities Project, also located in Westside. Together these projects will inform the development of Galway City Council climate policies.
Climate 2/2
Eight air sensors were installed at various locations across Westside in December 2023. These sensors detect and measure the concentration of floating particles (Particulate Matter or PM) in the air. University of Galway is leading on the scientific strand of this project.
Creativity
Engaging with the issue of air quality in Westside, three artists in residence will work with communities to co-create artistic outcomes. Sited in three different locations in Westside and Galway City, artists will explore the air we share in new and striking ways, making the invisible visible. In this way, culture can become a catalyst for dialogue and creative action in the face of a shared climate crisis, locating climate action in how people live and what they feel.
Community
The communities of Westside are at the heart of this project, with the Westside Resource Centre a key hub of activity. Through inclusive communication and engagement at a local level, this project aims to build understanding of causes and consequences of the climate and ecological crisis and open opportunities for the co-creation of climate solutions. By creatively engaging with air and its relationship to climate and health, communities in Westside can feel empowered people to take action on climate, based on shared values of fairness, collaboration and positive change.
Project partners
This project is a recipient of the Creative Climate Action fund, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme. It is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The fund supports creative, cultural and artistic projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural transformations.
Get involved.
Use the contact form on the right to get in touch
Updates
Airs and Spaces – an interactive journey through Galway’s atmosphere and soundscapes
04/09/24
Eugene McKeown of The Galway Sound Lab and Liz Coleman of the Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies at the University of Galway will lead a walk through the city from Westside to Wolf Tone Bridge as part of the Climate Inspirations Festival.
Through this interactive walk participants will observe the city in a new way, using their senses to experience the atmosphere. We will explore the air, what populates it, and what it carries: Gases, particles, pollutants, stories, highlighting the sounds and man-made and natural sounds of the living city.
Walking slowly, we will engage our senses as we move through the city, listening to the soundscapes and observing the quality of the atmosphere. At designated stops there will be a specific listening period and an opportunity for participants to discuss their experience of the sounds and atmosphere of the city.
The event is weather dependent and involves some uneven ground so suitable clothing is required.
This event is in association with The Air We Share and NetZeroCities.
Westside to City Centre
Friday Sept 13
6:15pm to 7:30pm
Meeting Point: Westside Community Centre
To find out more, visit the Galway Climate Inspirations Festival website.
Launch of Artist-In-Residence (A.I.R.) Open Call
28/08/24
Galway Arts Centre is delighted to announce an open call for three significant artist-in-residence opportunities in Galway City. The residencies will respond to air pollution research, and engage with creative, climate, and community-driven solutions to air pollution as part of the climate action project, The Air We Share.
Open to artists and collectives from all disciplines, the Artist-In-Residence (A.I.R.) Programme will serve as the creative core of The Air We Share project. The residencies will run from October 2024 through till July 2025.
Artists are invited to propose ambitious, innovative, and collaborative projects that engage with the Westside communities, responding to scientific research on air quality and climate conducted by local citizen scientists and climate scientists from the University of Galway.
The Air We Share project tackles the issue of air quality and pollution through artistic interventions, citizen science, and community action in Westside, Galway. It explores air pollution issues and aims to propose creative solutions. Led by Galway City Council and supported by Creative Ireland, the creative production is managed by Galway Arts Centre.
Galway Arts Centre Director and Curator Megs Morley commented:
“This is a significant creative opportunity for artists to engage with the communities of Westside, explore speculative futures, and, through research, deepen their understanding of air pollution and its critical relevance to our shared environment.”
Ruth Mulhern, Arts Officer, added:
“Galway City Council is delighted to collaborate on this exciting Creative Ireland project with Galway Arts Centre and our climate, science, creative, and community partners. The Air We Share offers a unique chance to deliver tangible creative outputs that respond to scientific research on climate action in Galway’s Westside.”
The Air We Share brings together a consortium of local partners, led by Galway City Council, including the University of Galway’s Centre for Creative Technology, the Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Westside Resource Centre, Galway Culture Company, and Galway Arts Centre to develop responses to the climate and environmental challenge of air pollution. The project is a recipient of the Creative Ireland Creative Climate Action Fund.
The selected artists will begin their residencies in October 2024, with project outcomes to be completed by July 2025.
The deadline for applications is Monday, 30 September 2024.
For more information and to apply, click here.
Lift off!
25/07/24
Thank you to all who joined us in Westside on a sunny Saturday afternoon in July to launch The Air We Share!
We were delighted to welcome Mayor of Galway City Councillor Peter Keane to officially launch the project, commending the “novel partnership to connect communities with climate change, using creative approaches as a catalyst for dialogue and climate action”.
Dr Liz Coleman of University of Galway and artist Sarah Edmondson led a creative workshop to “make the invisible visible”.
Participants were asked:
- What is in the air?
- What changes our air?
- What can we do to protect the air?
Over the course of the afternoon, the group discussed these questions and collaborated to create hanging mobile installations inspired by Alexander Calder’s kinetic sculptures. On pieces of acetate participants drew colourful individual respiratory tracts and inhalations, making the invisible visible through imagined magnification.
It was an inspiring afternoon and a fitting start to a project that brings together science, art, and community for collective climate action.
Stay in touch to hear more about our forthcoming artist residencies by filling out our contact form.
Finally, we’d love if you could help us by telling us about your experience of this Creative Climate Action event by completing this survey:
Short version (if you don’t have much time)
Longer version (if you have a bit more time)
Best wishes, from The Air We Share project team
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