London Artist Dedicates Artwork to Young Girl that Died to Air Pollution-Related Complications

Public art honoring Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who died at the age of nine due to her exposure to air pollution, will be on display outside her south London home next year.

(Photo : Getty Images)

A Dedication to Ella

Ella Roberta Adoo Kissi-Debrah passed away after 28 months of seizures and 28 hospital trips for respiratory issues. Her Lewisham house was about 25 meters from the South Circular Road.

Breathe: 2022 by Dryden Goodwin will be shown at locations around the South Circular Road, which runs within 25 meters of Ella's home. The project, the centerpiece of activities commemorating Lewisham's year as London borough of culture, is a follow-up to Goodwin's 2012 work Breathe, which featured his five-year-old son breathing and exhaling.

Ella's mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, will be among the local environmental activists who will attend Goodwin's event. As people walk or drive past, static photographs will appear alive, creating the impression that the individuals are struggling to breathe.

"I'm fascinated by how air both maintains and corrupts the body," said Goodwin, who is collaborating with Network Rail and Transport for London to find ideal locations for the artworks. According to the Lewisham-based artist, Ella's death has "heightened knowledge of the environmental catastrophe" in the region. She is working with the art and science organization Invisible Dust.

The Young Girl's Death

Ella died in 2013 from an asthma attack. A coroner said "excessive air pollution" contributed to Ella's death in a historic decision last year, adding that "the entire of Ella's life was lived close to extremely polluting roadways."

Rosamund Kissi-Debrah has been working to raise awareness about air pollution since her daughter's death.

More than 1,300 drawings of Goodwin's five-year-old son were included in Breathe, which was displayed on an 8-meter-high screen of St Thomas' hospital overlooking the Houses of Parliament. He will also appear in Breathe 2022 as an adolescent who grew up in Lewisham.

The piece is part of a larger celebration of Lewisham's year as London's borough of culture. They include a mass dance performance by 200 local artists showcasing the beneficial impact of migration in the region, as well as a celebration of Lewisham's musical legacy, with Dave Okumu and Linton Kwesi Johnson and featuring pop, grime, afrobeat, jazz, world, classical, and punk music.

Air-Pollution Related Ailments

Effects of long-term exposure to air pollution

(Photo : Unsplash/CDC)
According to World Health Organization, people exposed to unhealthy air can develop complications in their respiratory system, and are more susceptible in getting pneumonia, asthma, or lung cancer.

Nine out of ten people breathe polluted air throughout the planet.

Air pollution is currently the leading cause of premature mortality, with more than 6 million people dying prematurely each year from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and respiratory disorders. That's more than the total number of people who died from AIDS, TB, and malaria combined.

Children, the elderly, persons with pre-existing ailments, and minority and low-income populations are especially exposed to air pollution's adverse health effects and economic consequences, such as missed workdays.