Artwork

From the upper stratosphere to cells inside our bodies, natural and polluted particles travel over the globe. This project, in the form of an installation of interwoven narratives and journeys on the trail of a meteor, invites the visitors to reflect upon our mode of existence, our sense of common good and fairness today.

The story began on one of the most northerly of the Scottish isles, on the remote reef of Fair Isle. Travelling back to the point it was emitted from: the exhaust pipe of a ship in the English Channel, at the southern edge of the North Downs. The precise itinerary of this particle could be retraced by means of atmospheric backward trajectory models and of the analyses of anthropogenic emission of air pollutants that the European Commission makes every day.

Equipment on the expedition was composed of helmets with a little camera, through which each day’s journey was crystallised in a photograph with a unique point of view: that of the skyline. The walking outfit with breathing masks and filters trapped the black carbon particles we encountered. These particles were later extracted by JRC scientist Jean-Philippe Putaud and turned into ink.

The photographs visible in the installation are partially composed of that ink made from the particles.

Additional details

Artwork by Anaïs Tondeur with Rita Van Dingenen and Jean-Philippe Putaud.

Anaïs Tondeur website.

More on the work on the artist's website.

The Sky in Us @ Leonardo4Children.

The Sky in Us @ the Education for Climate Coalition (ECCO).