Soft Smoke
Jonas Leifert & Franziska Pierwoss &
Installation for public space and exhibition
commissioned by Urbane Künste Ruhr 2025
VIDEO LINK
The project soft smoke is centred on the history and long-lasting social implications of air pollution in the Ruhrgebiet. Conceived for public space, soft smoke is a cotton candy stall serving grey cotton candy in three flavours: Duisburg’s air, Smog, and coal dust and an exhibition displaying archive material.
soft smoke cotton candy stall
For eight weeks, the mobile cotton candy stall moved around Duisburg’s Innenhafen area, serving grey cotton candy to passersby. While the cotton candy was being prepared, the host shared anecdotes about the local history of air pollution and its continuities—such as the citizens’ initiatives in Duisburg-Marxloh in the 1970s, or the recent case of Bottrop residents taking a steel producer to court for polluting their gardens with toxic coal dust. Once the cotton candy was served, the audience was invited to share their own stories.
During its exhibition in Duisburg, Soft Smoke received a great deal of interest: countless stories of bitter realities were shared, and younger generations complained about how little these issues are addressed in school.
soft smoke exhibition
During the years of the economic miracle, the legendary sunsets in the Ruhr region bathed cities in a dark red light. The reason for this was not only dust, ash, and soot, but also high levels of sulfur dioxide in the air. Duisburg had long been a hotspot within the already heavily polluted Ruhr coal district. Due to its location at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, the city hosted an exceptionally large number of coal and steel plants, including the coking plants and smelting works of Thyssen, Krupp, and Mannesmann. Where people lived and the prevailing wind direction played a decisive role in how severely residents were affected by air pollution. Districts such as Marxloh, Hamborn, Neuenkamp, and Hochfeld were particularly exposed because of their proximity to industrial facilities.
In the mid-20th century, local air pollution reached such extreme levels that the population suffered from numerous respiratory diseases and increased cancer rates. The smog episode of December 1962 even led to a significantly increased mortality rate.
The exhibition invited visitors to conduct their own research. On display were materials from various regional archives, including leaflets from citizens’ initiatives, image brochures from industrial companies, and documentation of atmospheric emissions. What is notably absent from these archives are the voices of those whose health was directly affected—above all, workers with and without German passports, residents living near industrial plants, children, people with pre-existing conditions, and older people
Video by Urbane Künste Ruhr
Archives:
Afas Archiv, Stadtarchiv Bochum, Stadtarchiv Duisburg, Stadtarchiv Essen, LANUK, Haus der Geschichte des Ruhrgebiets, Ruhrmuseum, WDR Archiv
Partner: Kultur- und Stadthistorisches Museum Duisburg
Cotton Candy stall hosts:
Airbrush: Woge Airbrushdesign
Design: Arc Gestaltung
Photography & Video: Siska
Slideshow photography by Siska