NI artist Robin Price’s photograhpic project hightlights pollution problem

The piece, Air of the Anthropocene, is an ongoing National Lottery supported documentary project using a custom built LED light painter that translates particulate pollution levels into the density of light dots in a long exposure photograph. The effect is to illuminate the pollution, shedding light on the invisible particles around us in the air. Photography for the project has been taken in cities across the world including the UK, Ireland, India, Mexico and Africa. The project has been used to raise awareness of growing pollution levels in East Africa and to help advocate for positive change.

Air of the Anthropocene is currently being re-worked into a toolkit for schools to help effect positive change through image based campaigning.

“Various measurements of air pollution improved in a lot of cities worldwide under the COVID-19 lockdowns,” said Robin.

“While as a lifestyle lockdown is clearly unsustainable what it demonstrated was that co-ordinated efforts by governments really can achieve positive change. We should keep that in mind as we slowly start to come back out into the world.”

Suzanne Lyle, Arts Council NI, added: “The project not only raises awareness of the growing pollution problem in the world but it also creates open discussion for potential government backed interventions.”