‘Connected by Air’ takes as its subject the delicate ecologies and co-existence between the lungs of the earth, humans and plants. The project explores a selection of major European volcanoes and points to the cycle of the earth breathing within the carbon cycle of our ecosystems. The work premiered at the exhibition Datami at BOZAR in 2021, focusing on air and how we, as humans, can affect our surroundings.

The installation is composed of a series of glass prisms embellished from the repeated application of thin, transparent layers of pigment made from volcanic ash to form an optical quality surface. The prisms appear identical, but when you look closely the film projections make the reflections on the surfaces distinct.

The artwork was recently acquired for the Arts Council’s collection of Ireland, and formed a display of works by Siobhan McDonald at VOLTA, Basel in June 2019.

Siobhan chose to cite the first inquiry on Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, the largest glacier and volcano in Europe. Seeing this as a microcosm to represent the larger global ecosystem, McDonald began to visually explore what it means for us as we enter the next phase of human-induced climate change. Since 2010, McDonald visited the highly eruptive part of Iceland to film the tension and perceived underground silence before an explosion. ‘When Eyjafjallajökull erupted, suddenly the wind currents became very present and particles of ash were disseminated through the air.’

Together with scientists from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (the Commission’s science and knowledge service), the project expanded into a wider inquiry of air and the role of major European volcanoes such as Etna, Stromboli, Vulcano, Campi Flegrei and Vesuvio to look at evolution and health through the prism of air.

Siobhán’s research and preparatory work included a field trip to Catania, Sicily, to study Mount Etna’s pulsing, volatile terrain, hoping to unlock the potential of its chemical make-up. Namely, that the ash clouds above Mount Etna might enable us to counter the damage caused by our planet-warming carbon emissions.

‘On the expedition to Mount Etna, her intention was again to examine natural processes and forces, as well as the minutiae of the rocks and the history of exploration in the territory. She notes, “For this trip, I was primarily looking at the consequences of our treatment of nature and exploring the notion of breath.”

Irish Times: Sue Rainsford Ash to art : 2019 Irish Times, ‘Ash to art: Can Mount Etna’s eruptions tackle carbon emissions?’ by Sue Rainsford [PDF]

This project was generously commissioned by the EU Commission: https://resonances.jrc.ec.europa.eu/installation/breathe