AI world premiere helps to bang drum on air quality

Liverpool has turned its famous musical talent to AI for a world premiere influenced by….air pollution!

Liverpool City Council, the University of Liverpool and The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra have combined to create a piece of AI-written music to promote clean air policies in cities.

Dr Jonny Higham from the University of Liverpool, in partnership with Liverpool City Council, has led the development of one of the UK’s largest city-wide air quality monitoring networks.

This pioneering work has generated a unique dataset, transformed into a musical composition using cutting-edge AI technology.

In a celebration of innovation and creativity, the Liverpool Philharmonic String Quartet has brought this data to life in an incredible performance, merging science and art in a truly unique way.

The strong collaborations developed were showcased for Clean Air Night in a live performance of the piece by students from the University of Liverpool’s Music Department at the waterfront, where the buildings were lit up in blue to mark the occasion.

Across the city region, air quality varies significantly throughout the year, with multiple breaches of the stringent 5 µg/m³ daily average recommended by the WHO, as is common in large urban areas. The musical composition is crafted to reflect this.

The instruments come together harmoniously in some sections and transition to atonality to symbolise periods of increased pollution. The piece contains 365 notes, each representing a single day of 2024, capturing the region’s air quality journey over the year.

The strong collaboration across the city was showcased in the Clean Air Night celebration, creating a powerful conversation piece that highlights Liverpool’s united efforts to lead the way in air quality research.

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 through a range of initiatives.

This includes implementing 65 School Streets to reduce traffic near schools, supported by camera enforcement, and transitioning the Council’s vehicle fleet from diesel to electric, boosting both air quality and progress toward net-zero emissions.

A comprehensive Clean Air Plan is also underway, outlining clear actions to reduce roadside nitrogen dioxide levels.

Furthermore, the Council’s Active Travel Plan will enhance walking and cycling infrastructure across the city, with new routes, improved wayfinding, and additional bike parking, ensuring residents benefit from safer and more sustainable travel options.

And residents across Liverpool will benefit from the Council’s Active Travel plan, which will support the introduction of more walking and cycling routes, wayfinding and an increase of parking for bikes.

The full video of the performance can be watched here.

Today's
Air Quality

Our handy map makes it easy to see what the current and historic air pollution levels are like in your area by bringing you the very latest information from air quality monitoring conducted by Liverpool City Council and Defra.

Screenshot of live air quality map

Image above is visual only. Click link to see live map. Air quality levels in Liverpool sourced from Liverpool City Council  and Defra.
© Crown 2018 copyright Defra via uk-air.defra.gov.uk, licensed under the Open Government Licence (OGL).