Air is intrinsic to life–yet fine particle pollution is now the biggest environmental risk of early death world- wide, killing 7 million people a year. Linked to various physical and mental health issues like asthma or dementia, toxic air affects nearly everyone: 90% of the world’s population lives in places where pollution levels are above the World Health Organization’s recommended limits. While the issue is worse in South and East Asia, all metropolises are affected globally and London is not exempt.
This photographic work aims to visualise this ‘invisible killer’ by creating images of toxic fine particles. In collaboration with scientists who manage the London Air Quality Network, Marina Vitaglione gathered samples from several monitoring sites in inner and outer London that measure carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide. The samples were magnified through two procedures: some were collected on a Beta Attenuation Monitoring device, then photographed through a microscope, others were enlarged digitally through Raman spectroscopy.
The artist then made cyanotypes out of the resulting closeup images of particulate matter. One of the oldest photographic techniques, cyanotype printing consists in coating a paper with a photosensitive emulsion, placing an object or a photograph negative on it and exposing it to sunlight. The cyan-blue tone of the pictures is reminiscent of pure, cloudless skies; and the delicate Japanese Gampi paper used for the original prints evokes the lightness of air itself.
This project was nominated for the 2023 Prix Pictet Award for Sustainability and Photography and shortlisted for the 2025 Wellcome Photography Prize, invites you to step in, breathe deep, and see the unseen.
Beddington Lane, Croydon, South London, 21/07/2020. © Marina Vitaglione, AIR (2021-2022)