Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality and its Division of Air Quality provided me with their daily measurements of particulate matter (PM 2.5) since the year 2000. This slow moving image of data visualization demonstrates the highest calculation of PM 2.5 pollution ever recorded over the course of 120 days during November 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014, with every 3 seconds representing 1 day of pollution.
The still image, taken at the height right above the inversion layer (5,500 ft) along the Wasatch front, symbolizes a pure landscape one would see from the 19th century documentation of the Western Frontier. The accumulation and decumulation of air pollution overlapped on this still image imposes a timeline of the anthropocene in local space and time.
I photograph 4x5 large-format landscapes around the Wasatch front on clear winter days 5,000+ ft above the inversion layer surrounding the Salt Lake Valley. These conditions bridge the comparison with early documentation of the Western Frontier’s landscapes that were once pure.
Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality and its Division of Air Quality provided me with daily 24-hour measurements of particulate matter filters that showcase a physical representation of pollution captured in the Salt Lake City Valley. These range anywhere from 10%-90% gray, 10% being mild and 90% being extremely hazardous for one’s health. The percentages were then rendered as a moving image of data visualization upon my photographed landscape to represent anthropogenic changes in local space and time.