The Galway Arts Centre is the venue for a major new group exhibition shining a light on air quality and climate change, through the medium of innovative artworks created in collaboration with climate scientists and the local community.

‘The Air We Share’ invites visitors to experience an immersive sound installation, watch real-time environmental data transform into digital sculptures, and learn more about Galway’s air quality, climate and shared environment.

The exhibition features innovative, participatory projects developed by artists in close collaboration with climate scientists from University of Galway and communities from Galway City’s Westside – a designated decarbonising zone.

It showcases work by artists Leon Butler, Christopher Steenson, and the artist collective, a place of their own, the art and spatial practice founded in 2010 by Paula McCloskey and Sam Vardy.

All  of these were commissioned through The Air We Share’artist-in-residence programme.

Over the past ten months, the artists have worked closely with local communities and climate scientists to explore how art can interpret complex environmental concepts and data, helping to make the invisible realities of air pollution visible.

The resulting artworks all drawing on data collected from local air pollution monitors, alongside insights from citizen science and community workshops.

Leon Butler’s Phosphene, for example, is 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 is an ambient sound installation that takes the idea of the atmosphere as a physical body to explore our connection to the world through breath.

The 9 Freedoms for the Air by a place of their own is 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.

The artist commissions lie at the creative heart of The Air We Share, a collaborative climate action initiative launched in July 2024.

Led by Galway City Council, the initiative examines and highlights the causes, impacts, and potential solutions to air pollution through art, citizen science and community action. It 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.

Director and Curator of Galway Arts Centre, Megs Morley, said they were thrilled to present The Air We Share.

“Each of these commissioned works reflects the power of collaboration – between artists, scientists and communities – and offers a fresh perspective on the often-invisible issue of air quality and pollution,” she said.

“Through sound, data, conversation and craft, the artists have created thought-provoking works that make complex environmental issues feel tangible and accessible. We hope visitors of all ages will find inspiration and reflection in what’s on display.”

The exhibition was officially opened on Saturday by Deputy Mayor of Galway City, Alan Cheevers, and it runs until Sunday, September 21. Admission is free and a full programme of talks, tours and public events will run alongside the exhibition. Visit galwayartscentre.ie for details.

Pictured: Anastasia Vershinina of Galway Arts Centre pictured with a textile artwork created by artists Paula McCloskey and Sam Vardy, together with members of Galway’s Westside community.