From Wales to India to Ethiopia, researchers hope their photos will help people understand the impact of polluted air on their lives.
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We know that most city dwellers live in polluted air, without necessarily worrying about it. Would it be different if we could see the pollution?
By combining digital light painting with air pollution sensors, researchers and artists have found a way to make the invisible visible.
Their photos highlight the health risks of particulate-clogged skies in Wales, India and Ethiopia.
“Air pollution is the leading environmental risk factor globally“, explains Professor Francis Pope, an environmental specialist at the British University of Birmingham, who led the project with the artist Robin Price.
“By painting with light to create impactful images, we give people an easy way to compare air pollution in different contexts.”
How can we photograph air pollution?
Particulate matter is the deadliest form of air pollution for humans. Its main components are sulfates, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust and water.
To capture the tiny particles in a photo, the team used inexpensive air pollution sensors to measure their concentration. They then used the real-time signal from the sensors to control an array of moving LEDs programmed to flash more quickly as the particle concentration increased.
A long exposure photo is taken, with the artist moving the LED array in front of the camera – with the flash becoming a dot in the photo.
The artist is not visible in the photo because he is moving, but the light flashes of the LEDs are visible because they are bright. The more bright spots there are in the photos, the higher the concentration of particles.
What do photos of air pollution reveal?
The researchers’ findings show that air pollution varies greatly from place to place.
In Ethiopia, concentrations of fine particles were up to 20 times higher in a traditional kitchen than outside.
In India, two children’s playgrounds, just 500 kilometers apart, were given a digital light painting treatment. The playground located in the city of Delhi has particle levels at least 12.5 times higher than those measured in the playground located in rural Palampur.
Significant variations in air pollution have also been observed around the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales. Here, monitoring of air quality and luminous painting at dusk in summer made it possible to measure concentrations of suspended particles of around 30 to 40 mg/m3, while the hourly average value was of 24 mg/m3.
“By providing a visual understanding of air pollution accessible to people who do not necessarily have a scientific background, this approach can demonstrate that managing air pollution levels can have a significant impact on people’s daily lives. people” said photographer Robin Price.
How dangerous is air pollution?
Air pollution is considered one of the main threats to the environment and human health and a leading cause of death worldwide.
Particulate matter has multiple impacts on physical health and is responsible for diseases such as heart disease, stroke and cancer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 99% of the world’s population breathes polluted air, leading to approximately seven million premature deaths worldwide each year.
The situation is particularly difficult in Asia, where air pollution remains a major problem in countries such as India and China, despite policies promoting clean air.
ADVERTISEMENTAfrican countries have also experienced a significant deterioration in air quality over the past five decades.
To raise awareness of this deadly problem, the photography project “Air of the Anthropocene” has been exhibited in galleries in Los Angeles, Belfast and Birmingham.
