Gallery
Please find here the approved applications to the Social Art Award 2021 – New Greening. The open call was closed on 1 May.
The next Open Call for the Social Art Ward will be opened in 2023.
180
The air we breathe
1375
Title:
The air we breathe
The air we breathe
Author:
Sarah Strachan
Sarah Strachan
Description:
Air is invisible, unknowable and undeniable but how do we visualise this medium that connects us all? This connection is something we have become even more aware of since the impact of Covid-19. Air quality is often expressed through the air quality index (AQI) but what does this actually mean? How do we experience air quality? And what does our experience mean in terms of our perception now and in the future? I’m interested in how children’s experience of their environment influences their perception throughout their lives and a phenomenon referred to as ‘shifting baseline syndrome’. This social art project reflects on personal experience of air quality and intergenerational environmental justice, touching upon the idea that our childhood experiences of the environment are hard wired into our ecological thinking and establishes awareness for the rest of our life. I’ve been collaborating with families around the world since 2018, sharing thoughts and responses on the air we breathe. Initially I posted messages and acrylic boxes to the children to fill with found objects reflecting on what influences the air quality in their area - with the intention of building a collaborative sculpture together (see photos). This social art project has evolved to include exhibitions, awards, talks and workshops with schools. More recently I’ve been working with curators and scientists to explore how to develop the project further. The ideas we have in development include exploring the co-benefits of tackling air pollution and climate change, engagement with people experiencing respiratory illness and working with an interdisciplinary research network tackling air pollution in schools.
Air is invisible, unknowable and undeniable but how do we visualise this medium that connects us all? This connection is something we have become even more aware of since the impact of Covid-19. Air quality is often expressed through the air quality index (AQI) but what does this actually mean? How do we experience air quality? And what does our experience mean in terms of our perception now and in the future? I’m interested in how children’s experience of their environment influences their perception throughout their lives and a phenomenon referred to as ‘shifting baseline syndrome’. This social art project reflects on personal experience of air quality and intergenerational environmental justice, touching upon the idea that our childhood experiences of the environment are hard wired into our ecological thinking and establishes awareness for the rest of our life. I’ve been collaborating with families around the world since 2018, sharing thoughts and responses on the air we breathe. Initially I posted messages and acrylic boxes to the children to fill with found objects reflecting on what influences the air quality in their area - with the intention of building a collaborative sculpture together (see photos). This social art project has evolved to include exhibitions, awards, talks and workshops with schools. More recently I’ve been working with curators and scientists to explore how to develop the project further. The ideas we have in development include exploring the co-benefits of tackling air pollution and climate change, engagement with people experiencing respiratory illness and working with an interdisciplinary research network tackling air pollution in schools.
Description:
Air is invisible, unknowable and undeniable but how do we visualise this medium that connects us all? This connection is something we have become even more aware of since the impact of Covid-19. Air quality is often expressed through the air quality index (AQI) but what does this actually mean? How do we experience air quality? And what does our experience mean in terms of our perception now and in the future? I’m interested in how children’s experience of their environment influences their perception throughout their lives and a phenomenon referred to as ‘shifting baseline syndrome’. This social art project reflects on personal experience of air quality and intergenerational environmental justice, touching upon the idea that our childhood experiences of the environment are hard wired into our ecological thinking and establishes awareness for the rest of our life. I’ve been collaborating with families around the world since 2018, sharing thoughts and responses on the air we breathe. Initially I posted messages and acrylic boxes to the children to fill with found objects reflecting on what influences the air quality in their area - with the intention of building a collaborative sculpture together (see photos). This social art project has evolved to include exhibitions, awards, talks and workshops with schools. More recently I’ve been working with curators and scientists to explore how to develop the project further. The ideas we have in development include exploring the co-benefits of tackling air pollution and climate change, engagement with people experiencing respiratory illness and working with an interdisciplinary research network tackling air pollution in schools.
Air is invisible, unknowable and undeniable but how do we visualise this medium that connects us all? This connection is something we have become even more aware of since the impact of Covid-19. Air quality is often expressed through the air quality index (AQI) but what does this actually mean? How do we experience air quality? And what does our experience mean in terms of our perception now and in the future? I’m interested in how children’s experience of their environment influences their perception throughout their lives and a phenomenon referred to as ‘shifting baseline syndrome’. This social art project reflects on personal experience of air quality and intergenerational environmental justice, touching upon the idea that our childhood experiences of the environment are hard wired into our ecological thinking and establishes awareness for the rest of our life. I’ve been collaborating with families around the world since 2018, sharing thoughts and responses on the air we breathe. Initially I posted messages and acrylic boxes to the children to fill with found objects reflecting on what influences the air quality in their area - with the intention of building a collaborative sculpture together (see photos). This social art project has evolved to include exhibitions, awards, talks and workshops with schools. More recently I’ve been working with curators and scientists to explore how to develop the project further. The ideas we have in development include exploring the co-benefits of tackling air pollution and climate change, engagement with people experiencing respiratory illness and working with an interdisciplinary research network tackling air pollution in schools.