A collaboration between the University of Liverpool, Liverpool City Council, Alder Hey Children's Hospital and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra came together for a special event to mark Clean Air Night.
Organised by Dr Jonny Higham from the University of Liverpool's Department of Geography & Planning, the event brought together experts, musicians, and the community to highlight Liverpool's leadership in air quality research and community-driven solutions to tackle air pollution.
At the heart of the event was a live performance by University of Liverpool Music students of an adapted version of a unique piece of music which was written using AI and inspired by local air quality data. The music, was created by Dr Higham, was performed in the iconic Cunard arrivals halls against the back drop of the Liver Building which was lit up blue to symbolise the night.
Transforming air quality data into music
Dr Higham is responsible for the development of one of the UK's most extensive city-wide air quality monitoring networks. The data collected from this pioneering system was transformed into a 365-note musical piece-each note representing a day in 2024.
The composition reflected Liverpool's air quality journey, with each instrument symbolising a region of the city (north, east, south and west). Harmonious sections mirrored periods of clean air, while atonal passages represented times of heightened pollution, providing a poignant, sensory experience of the data.
The work was facilitated by Dr Ruth Minton, from the University's Department of Music, who liaises with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
She said: "It is a pleasure to help support such a wonderful project. AI is such a powerful tool, and this piece of music really demonstrates the power it has to unlock data communication through new and innovate ways. This is especially poignant in Liverpool as a UNESCO city of music."
Waterfront illumination
The event took place at Liverpool's iconic waterfront with landmarks, including the Liver Building and Our Ladies Church, illuminated in blue to symbolise the city's commitment to clean air and healthier communities.
Dr Higham said: "Clean Air Night showcased Liverpool's remarkable collaboration we've built in my past five years at Liverpool in addressing air quality challenges. The AI-driven musical piece demonstrated how environmental science can inspire creativity and drive awareness. By blending music, visuals, and expert insights, we hope to spark collective action toward a cleaner, healthier future. Being able to have a world leading Orchestra play our music, the city lit blue and have colleagues here from Alder Hey here to celebrate the event is testament to what we can achieve when we work together."
Dr Higham heads up the city's annual Air Quality Roundtable, which this year will be held on Clean Air Day at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. This event brings together local leaders, industry experts, charities and medical professionals to address air pollution challenges, facilitate networks and build strong collaborations across the city,
In addition, Dr Higham is working with colleagues from Alder Hey Children's Hospital to use his cutting-edge sensor network as the foundation for potential early warning systems for hyper-localised pollution events and improving public health and safety across the city.
Professor Sinha, from Alder Hey Children's Hospital, said: "We need to use nights like this to highlight the importance of clean air. My clinic treats many poorly children from across the city suffering from illness which is 100% preventable. The work led by Dr Higham really demonstrates the power we can have when we unite across academia, medicine and local government. When we started the Clean Air Clinic eight years ago, I never thought a few years later through the power of AI I would be listening to the invisible threat that makes all these children poorly."
The City of Liverpool is positioning itself as a leader in urban environmental action. Liverpool City Council is committed to creating a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable city and has a range of initiatives to support this including reducing traffic near schools, a comprehensive Clean Air Plan and enhancing walking and cycling infrastructure across the city.
Global Action Plan established Clean Air Day in 2017 and it is currently the UK's largest campaign against air pollution. This new incentive Clean Air Night aims to get people thinking about their own personal actions in polluting and how they can reduce their impacts.
