Air: Social Medium

CLB Berlin Oct – Nov 2023

Air is a commons – it has a long history as a connecting and thus social element. Four photographic motifs reveal air’s historical scope of resonance in an exemplary manner.

Fumifugium, London 1661

A pamphlet publicly protesting against air pollution in London back in the mid-17th century, the Fumifugium is one of the earliest known documents of its kind. In his text, the English architect and horticulturist John Evelyn discussed the effects of industrialization in the growing metropolis. Even today, Evelyn’s account on the »Inconvenience of the Aer and Smoak of London« seems worth reading, as it outlines key elements of an urban environmental history.

Photo: © John Evelyn, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered

Oxygen apparatus used in mining

Since the 18th century, canaries have been used as bioindicators in mining tunnels to warn miners of toxic carbon monoxide. When toxic gases reached even low concentrations, the bird fainted and fell silent. This allowed the workers to identify danger early and evacuate the tunnel immediately. In the 1920s, special apparatuses with a miniature oxygen tank were developed to revive the bird. In some regions, this practice continued until the late 20th century. Today, other technical solutions are used.

Photo: Science Museum Group Collection, © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, unaltered

Weather balloon, Kiruna, Sweden

To regulate global warming, geoengineering promises technical solutions, which are currently being researched worldwide. To this end, light-reflecting particles are being injected into the atmosphere, with the aim of reducing the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth.

This image of a weather balloon has become a symbol of this controversial discussion. It tells the story of an aborted test flight in 2021 in Kiruna, Sweden, where representatives of the indigenous Sámi people had successfully protested against a research project due to their concerns about the unforeseeable consequences for Arctic ecosystems.

Photo: © SSC, unaltered

Facade of a residential building, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The development of modern air conditioning in the early 20 th century fundamentally changed our relationship to air. Regardless of the local conditions, air is now technically manageable: It can be constantly measured, regulated, controlled, and standardized. However, air conditioning requires large amounts of energy. The mass use of cooling devices is thus causing global warming to increase.

Photo: © Tinou Bao, CC BY 2.0, unaltered