Breathe
An exhibition for the WHO reflecting on the linkages between health, the environment, and public engagement
On May 19th, 2015, Carbon Arts co-curated an exhibition with CoClimate, entitled BREATHE, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation and the Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC). Carbon Arts was initially approached by the WHO in order to engage delegates to the World Health Assembly on the matters of air pollution and its impacts on health. The exhibition was extended to include a greater number of artists and continues, hosted in the library of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, through October, 2015.
Globally, there is a growing recognition that addressing air pollution, climate change, and related health and environment issues, is not simply a scientific or technical problem, but a cultural one. To a large extent, we already possess the technology and best practice policy examples needed to ensure the well-being of people and make our future sustainable, but these aren’t always enough to drive change. At heart, responding effectively means confronting our personal identity, worldviews, and sense of loss or adventure experienced from any sort of change.
Artistic expression is a call to do just that, and as the organizers of this exhibit, we invited artists to display works of art from many parts of the world that provoke us to step back and be mindful of our health, our environment and the legacy that we are creating for ourselves and the next generation. Download the catalogue here.