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Breathe For Ella (2023)

projected on the Rambert building, on London's Southbank, next to Waterloo Bridge


On the 10th anniversary of the passing of 9-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah - the first person in the world to have 'air pollution' listed as a cause of death - a new iteration of artist Dryden Goodwin's Breathe animation was projected large-scale on London's South Bank in her memory.
 
Illuminating the side of the Rambert Building, positioned next to the busy Waterloo Bridge, were animated images of Ella's mother - the extraordinary clean air campaigner Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE - 'fighting for breath'.
 
This 20+ metre high spectacle, formed of a sequence of over 1,300 drawings by Goodwin, was produced by Invisible Dust and opened by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. 'Breathe for Ella' lit up the night sky from dusk till dawn for three nights from the 15th February 2023, viewed by many thousands of Londoners.
 
Rosamund Adoo-Kiss-Debrah CBE has spent the last decade striving for clean air justice for her daughter and all that come after her, through the vital work of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation - founded in her daughter's memory.
 
The event sought to encourage support for 'Ella's Law' (The Clean Air Bill) - new proposed legislation on air quality in the UK that was set to be debated in Parliament in February 2023. The Law would establish clean air as a basic human right for all and require local authorities to bring air quality up to minimum WHO standards within five years. Government figures currently estimate that well over 5% of all deaths in England are attributable to air pollution - around 30,000 people annually. Passed through the House of Lords, Ella's Law is now making its way through the House of Commons.
 
"For the last 28 months of her life, Ella had hundreds of attacks. While she was in and out of hospital, Ella was always worried about other children who were suffering like her, and for that reason we fight on. My kids and I hope Ella's Law will be successfully passed by the House of Commons, as it will save lives and be a fitting way to honour her memory. My kids and I will continue to learn to live without Ella, but we take courage in the knowledge that her painful death will end up saving millions." - Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE
 
Many hundreds of people joined Invisible Dust, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi Debrah CBE and the Ella Roberta Family Foundation along with Dryden Goodwin and a range of special guests for the dramatic night projection, music and speeches in honour of Ella's legacy. It was a packed, powerful and emotional night - with campaigners, scientists, policy leaders and concerned community members from across London and the UK coming together to #BreatheForElla, show their support for #EllasLaw and call for a clear air future for all.
 
Documentation Breathe for Ella (2023)
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