SMOG

Smog is an art piece that pulls data on the air quality of three major U.S. cities: Philadelphia, Honolulu, and Los Angeles. These three cities were selected as they show a range of air quality levels to compare & contrast.

When the visitor selects a city, the rack and pinion system activates and moves the charcoal from side to side, depositing black tracks on the city’s skyline based on its air quality levels. The more polluted a city is, the more charcoal is deposited, and vice versa.

A motion sensor on the side of the piece deposits additional charcoal when a hand is close to it — emphasizing a person’s individual impact on the environment. Each “print” serves as a tangible representation of the effects rapid urbanization has on air quality.

Each skyline was illustrated and printed on vinyl paper for the exhibition, becoming the surface the charcoal draws onto. The three cities span a spectrum of air quality — from Honolulu’s clean ocean air to the denser haze of Los Angeles. Midjourney was used to create a watercolor look and feel for each print.

On display, visitors selected a city and watched the rack-and-pinion carriage drag charcoal across the skyline in real time — leaving a unique smog print behind with every interaction.