Solutions to air pollution in Galway City are being explored as part of an innovative project combining art, community education and citizen action.
As part of ‘The Air We Share’ project, seven monitors will record air pollution in Westside with the data made available to the local community to ‘make the invisible visible’.
Three artists in residence will produce ambitious, sensory visual representations of the data, in collaboration with the local community, over the next 12 months.
The project were launched at Westside Arts Festival last Saturday. It is led by Galway City Council in partnership with Galway Arts Centre, University of Galway, Westside Resource Centre, and Galway Culture Company.
The Air We Share will explore sources of air pollution in Westside, as well as proposing creative solutions to address them.
The project is a measure of the Galway City Council Climate Action Plan, adopted last February. Westside has been designated a Decarbonising Zone, with the aim of a 51% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030.
According to Damien Redington, Climate Action Co-ordinator at Galway City Council, creativity can be a force for positive change in the face of climate challenges.
“This project will show how creativity can become a catalyst for dialogue and creative action to encourage behavioural change as Galway City implements its Climate Action Plan,” he said.
Dr Liz Coleman, an air pollution specialist at the University of Galway, said the project will raise collective understanding and create space to experiment with locally driven solutions.
“The Air We Share makes the issue of air pollution tangible,” she said.
“Communities in Westside will engage with air quality data and artists to co-create artwork during a process which will increase understanding of pollution and its relationship to climate change.
“It will allow for the design of climate solutions for a brighter future.”
Particle pollution caused by burning fossil and solid fuels has been shown to cause problems in the lungs and heart and can lead to increased risk of stroke and dementia, as well as affecting climate change.
The Air We Share project complements Galway City’s EU NetZeroCities project, which supports cities to identify and overcome root causes which hinder climate action.
In Galway City, the EU NetZeroCities project focuses on overcoming barriers to energy efficiency in buildings, with a Warm Home Hub located at Westside Resource Centre.
The project’s €250,000 budget is funded by Creative Ireland’s Climate Action Fund, ‘Agents of Change’, to build awareness around climate change and empower meaningful behavioural changes inspired by art.
More information including a call out to artists is at www.theairweshare.ie
