Nerea Calvillio / In the Air, Madrid in the Air: 24 Hours

Talk

Air pollution in cities

Monday 17 February 2020 6.30 - 8pm

The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts

£15, £9

Booking opens to Friends at 10am on Monday 18 November 2019. Booking opens to the public at 10am on Tuesday 19 November 2019.

Eco-Visionaries

Go to the exhibition

Supported by

Join our panel of architects, activists and scientists as they discuss how to make the deteriorating state of the air in our cities a concern of the many instead of the few.

The third and final event in our series of panel discussions responding to the Eco-Visionaries exhibition looks at air pollution in our cities and how the information around it is presented to us.

Even though the dense smog of London is a thing of the past, the results of human action are still dangerously present in our daily lives. The invisible and unavoidable nature of often illegal levels of air pollution make it a particularly complicated topic to address. Awareness campaigns that simply present what is seen by the scientific community as facts continue to divide opinion among the general public. Are art and design better placed to reframe the conversation and promote action?

After presenting short introductions to their work, our panel of activists, artists, graphic designers, architects and scientists will explore how more creative and visual approaches can increase the reach and accessibility of discussions around air pollution in our cities. Can creative professionals change the way we perceive our impact on the environment? What methods can be used to make people aware of their often-dangerous surroundings?

At the end of the discussion, the panel will also take questions from the audience.

In partnership with the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick.

Dr Nerea Calvillo (chair) is an assistant professor at the University of Warick. Her work investigates the material, technological, political and social dimensions of environmental pollution.

Vasilisa Forbes is a photographer and film-maker whose work includes the #WaxChick project, unfolding across billboards around the world and more recently in film. Together with Claire Matthews, she launched 'War on Diesel', a volunteer-led, activist visual arts campaign to promote cleaner air in the city.

Andrew Grieve is a senior air quality analyst at King's College London. He has previously worked on air quality surveying in Edinburgh and is currently involved in a four year long study on the health impact of London's low emissions zone.

Hanna Husberg is a Stockholm based artist and is currently a PhD in Practice candidate at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Through a practice of video and installation projects she investigates how humans imagine, perceive, and relate to the environment in times of anthropogenic climate change.

Noga Levy-Rapoport is a youth climate justice advocate and organiser of the UK climate strikes at the UK Student Climate Network.

Dr Diana Varaden is a research associate in the environmental research group at King's College London. Her ongoing research looks at the most effective ways to communicate the risks of air pollution to school children and other community groups.

£15, £9

Booking opens to Friends at 10am on Monday 18 November 2019. Booking opens to the public at 10am on Tuesday 19 November 2019.