Invisible Dust

Electronic Symphony to Tackle London Air Pollution

in clean air we fly, a sound installation by Kaffe Matthews

Space

space

The first Invisible Dust enquiry by artists and scientists into air pollution, health and climate change

Planetary and Atmospheric Research Scientist

Dr Hugh Mortimer will collaborate with the artists and curator to further his research into aerosols critical to the quality of people’s health and our understanding of climate change.

Mortimer directs his own research and has developed his own miniaturized spectrometer for the use in Earth based observation. This is to be used specifically for space based and in-situ monitoring of atmospheric trace gases. Mortimer is also part of a team responsible for the calibration of a future Climate Change monitoring instrument; the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) based on the satellite Sentinel 3. This is to be launched in 2012.

The above image is a 12 micron night-time image acquired on 7th September 1991; the area covered is 512 x 512 square km.

Obtained from the  ATSR (Along Track Scanning Radiometer) instruments produce infrared images of the Earth at a spatial resolution of one kilometre. The data from these instruments is useful for scientific studies of the land surface, atmosphere, clouds, oceans, and the cryosphere.

The first ATSR instrument, ATSR-1, was launched on board the European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) in July 1991, as part of their Earth Observation Programme.

London and many other English cities can be seen as bright thermal `footprints’ in this night-time image of England, France and the English Channel. In the false-colour representation used here, temperature increases through blue and yellow to orange over a temperature range of 278-288K.

The River Seine is the most prominent feature on the French landscape, but Paris is just beyond the lower extent of this image. The temperature gradients seen in the North Sea are characteristic of that region ranging from 290K in coastal waters to about 280K mid-channel.

The clouds in the image are about as warm as the land and are thus indistinguishable by their colour. However they are immediately apparent to those familar with the local geography or indeed no Channel Tunnel would be required!

(This is a 12 micron night-time image acquired on 7th September 1991; the area covered is 512 x 512 square km.)

“The work of  Ian Rawlinson and Nick Crowe is a poetic exploration of cultural values. Their work addresses questions around faith, politics, national identity and the environment. Often built around pairings and oppositions their video and sculptural works create an encounter with the viewer that focuses on the complexity of objects and actions in relation to their social contexts. Works like The Fireworks, The Carriers’ Prayer or The Four Horsemen operate though an unravelling of the social and ideological consequences of an action in regard to its apparent spectacle. This interest in consequence is reflected in the aesthetics of spectacle and excess that sit at the heart of their practice. In this sense the visual and aural intensity of much of their work can be seen as the discursive opening in its conversation with the viewer.”

Ceri Hand Gallery (2009)

The Four Horsemen – War (2009)

Loop (2007)

Nick Crowe’s work explores changes in technology and their sociological effects in terms of people’s perceptions and behaviours.

His worked combines an attention to the poetics of human relations with a sometimes harsh reading of their effects. Over the past four years he has produced video, sculpture and new media and his work has addressed themes from the Iraq War to Climate Change.Crowe’s recent exhibitions include AT 25 Metres, FACT Centre, Liverpool (with Ian Rawlinson), Sammlung Witkowski at Axel Lapp Projects, Berlin and the Whitstable Biennale 2008.

The Drowning of Tuvalu (2008) Nukufetau

Terre Natale | Stewdio.

Terre Natale (”Native Land”) is an immersive visualization of human migration data on display at the Fondation Cartier gallery in Paris.

Visitors enter a dark rotunda to discover a mirror-image Earth revolving around the room, printing animated maps and data to the curved wall. Divided into five scenarios, this piece attempts to quantify both voluntary and forced movement across the globe due to political, economic, and environmental factors. The visual aesthetic is primarily cold and terse. Small moments of humor, like the “roulette” visualization during the Remittances scenario, add a moment’s reprieve from what is otherwise a weighty discourse.

Created by the architecture studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro and their selected team of collaborators. Curated by Hervé Chandes and framed by cultural theorist Paul Virilio. On display at the Fondation Cartier in Paris from 21 November until 15 March 2009. For more information see Stewdio Blog itemstagged Terre Natale.