Air Morphologies investigates the materiality and composition of air pollution particles, their causes, effects and morphological agency. The project addresses how art and aesthetics interact with toxic materials; what kind of stories might be deployed through digital technologies; and how geopolitics are located in atmospheric thinking and being. Air Morphologies was exhibited as a panoramic film installation as part of In the Air, a group exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London until Aug - Oct 2022. The exhibition included work by Tacita Dean, David Rickard, Dryden Goodwin, Forensic Architecture, Choked Up, Anna Atkins, Black and Brown Films, Irene Kopelman, Ernst Haeckel and John Evelyn.

Air Morphologies was initiated during Matterlurgy’s residency as UK Artist Associates on the Science Technology Society program at Delfina Foundation, London funded by Gaia Art Foundation. During the residency, they developed VR artworks in collaboration with the Digital Maker Collective, University of the Arts London (artsXR) and scientists from the University of Cambridge (Prof Jennifer Gabrys) and King’s College, London (Dr David Green). The work was shown during a live event at Delfina Foundation, which included collaborative writing exercises on toxic materiality, critical discussion and artworks generated during the residency that included VR, video, prints and sonic works. Watch a short film Delfina Presents about the project.

Following the residency, the work has been shown at Tate Modern, Mains d’Œuvres, Paris and ONOMA, Fiskars, Finland. Matterlurgy further developed Air Morphologies through a Digital Residency with Gazell.io and produced a 360 film in collaboration with artsXR which was exhibited in the Gazelli Art House group show Enter Through the Headset 5. The film is now permanently on show in the Gallery’s VR library.