The “Every Breath We Take” campaign, a powerful initiative aimed at raising awareness about the critical issue of air pollution, launches under the Westway flyover in North Kensington, London. With a focus on community engagement, artistic expression, and education, this campaign seeks to ignite a movement for cleaner air and a healthier future.
Art Exhibition: A Visual Manifesto for Cleaner Air in London
A free public art exhibition will take place under the Westway flyover from Bank Holiday Monday 27 May – Friday 6 June. The exhibition, featuring artists from across North Kensington, London, and right across the UK, will transcend traditional art boundaries; weaving together diverse mediums—paintings, sculptures, digital installations, and photography—to create a multisensory experience. Each piece reflects the artists’ commitment to environmental consciousness and their passion for cleaner air.
The exhibition will also feature a trail of street art commissions across the 23-acre Westway Trust estate, underneath the Westway flyover in North Kensington.
Public Policy Roundtable
Campaigners, Politicians, Academics and community representatives are invited to collaboratively discuss and generate ideas for achieving cleaner air in London. This roundtable aims to foster dialogue and propose actionable solutions to enhance the air quality, benefiting both residents and the environment. Taking place at 6pm on Tuesday 21 May, individuals and organisations can register to attend at www.everybreathwetake.london/roundtable
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Deborah CBE is the founder, director, and trustee of the Ella Roberta Foundation. She is one of the most prominent advocates for clean air worldwide, a powerful voice in the air pollution debate. Rosamund has spent over 10 years campaigning, first to establish the causal link between air pollution and her daughter Ella’s untimely death at the age of 9, and secondly to raise awareness of the dangers of air pollution on human health. Ella remains the only person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on their death certificate. Rosamund’s determination to highlight the human cost of air pollution has led to her addressing audiences all over the world. Her work frequently involves lobbying politicians, as well as medical professionals, for more education and stronger legislation when it comes to air pollution.
Rosamund will be visiting the exhibition and judging the entries, she said:
“I was delighted to be asked by the Westway Trust to be involved in their ‘Every Breath We Take’ campaign. Art has always played an important role in my family’s life, it has the power to communicate with people and inspire feelings and thoughts like nothing else. Raising awareness about the detrimental affect air pollution has on our health, is essential if we want to pressure political leaders to take action to protect us. This project is a great way to reach communities and individuals, to create conversations, provoking thought and reflections on this important topic for the people living and working in the Westway, and indeed for the whole of London and the UK too.”
Venu Dhupa, CEO of the Westway Trust, explains why the message of the campaign is so relevant for the North Kensington community.
“Good quality air is key to our health. The air in parts of London often falls below the recognised quality threshold, especially in areas close to key road infrastructure. The traffic on the Westway affects the lives of the communities of North Kensington, as do the many building projects currently in the area. We want to raise awareness of this and encourage communities to advocate for a cleaner environment in the future. We also want to lend voice to other campaigns because change is more likely if we work together.”
Duncan Higgins is Professor of Visual Art, Director of the Centre for Artistic Research at Nottingham Trent University, and Professor of Fine Art at University of Bergen, Norway. He explains why he has got involved as one of the competition’s judges.
“Art plays such a crucial role in our modern society by allowing us to express emotions, stimulate critical thinking, and cultural reflection. It serves as a powerful tool for communication, storytelling and reflection in shaping our culture and helping us make sense of the world around us. It has the ability to provoke thought and inspire change, making it an essential part of our everyday lives. “Every Breath We Take” creates an important opportunity for such dialogue to be created at Westway.”
For more information, and to take part, please visit www.everybreathwetake.london