Galway Arts Centre, in conjunction with Galway City Council, has awarded three art commissions under an innovative new artists-in-residence programme. It supports artists to engage with communities in the Westside of Galway City and to respond to research on air quality and climate, conducted by local people and scientists from the University of Galway.

The artists-in-residence programme is part of a collaborative climate action initiative, ‘The Air We Share’, which was launched in July.

It examines and highlights the causes and effects of air pollution – which the World Health Organization has defined as a critical environmental health risk – and explores possible solutions.

The selected artists have been commissioned to develop innovative and collaborative projects that respond to scientific concepts and data on air quality, the atmosphere, and climate. They have received funding to develop these projects between now and next July, when the artworks will be presented publicly.

The artists are Galway based Leon Butler who works at the intersection of art and technology; Northern Ireland-born Christopher Steenson; and Paula McCloskey and Sam Vardy who operate under the moniker, A Place of Their Own.

Leon Butler’s project, Phosphene, will blend art and technology to transform air-quality data into a community experience. By using sensors to track and interpret the data, Butler will create ‘data sculptures’ to offer new insights into the health of Galway’s built environment. People will be invited to take part in design sessions to shape how air data is visualised, making this more engaging and accessible.

Christopher Steenson’s project, I talk to the wind, explores air pollution through the act of breathing. It will incorporate sound-walks, using live air pollution data, and community workshops, which will involve writing and discussion. Steenson’s project aims to connect participants with air pollution and its impact on daily life via the experience of breath.

A Place of Their Own will imagine Galway in 2054, when insects, dust, microbes and other ‘air dwellers’ will draft a new set of rights, titled The 9 Freedoms for the Air. The project will explore microscopic communities living in the atmosphere to create the 2054 scenario. Residents will join scientists and environmental legal experts for workshops to create a collective textile artwork that reimagines air as a shared resource that deserves protection.

‘The Air We Share’ initiative is led by Galway City Council and involves Galway Arts Centre, the University of Galway’s Centre for Creative Technologies and Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Westside Resource Centre, and Galway Culture Company.

Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Leonard Cleary says “the artist-in-residence programme brings creativity into the heart of ‘The Air We Share’.” He describes the project as “a transformative climate action initiative. . . which highlights air pollution as a critical environmental health risk”.

The Director and Curator of Galway Arts Centre, Megs Morley agreed.

“In the context of the current climate challenges, programmes such as ‘The Air We Share’ that bring together artists, scientists, communities, public institutions and cultural organisations, are critical to understanding and addressing the issues.”

Pictured at the ‘Sliding Rock’ in Galway City, at the announcement of three art commissions under the new ‘The Air We Share’ artists-in-residence programme are, back; from right, Christopher Steenson,  Leon Butler, Paula McCloskey and Sam Vardy with ‘The Air We Share’ project coordinator at Galway City Council, Adam Stoneman, and Dr Liz Coleman, University of Galway. PHOTO: MARK STEDMAN.