Particle Falls

air pollution awareness

Have you ever wondered how polluted the air you’re breathing is? What if you could see that air? What if you could see what is floating around you in tiny particulates, very casually invading your body, airways, and lungs. What if you could tell the drastic difference between rush hour exhaust levels, and a calm daytime walk downtown? Particle Falls is an amazing light installation by the multi disciplinary artist, professor, endowed chair, and director Andea Polli in association with Clean Air Carolina and UNC Charlotte and many other amazing supporting sister associations. Particle Falls is a large digital waterfall often displayed on the side of tall buildings. The waterfall is fed data from a near by nephelometer that is detecting pollutants in the air, depicted by an orange glowing spark that slowly overcome the beautiful blue of the water representing the air.

Particle Falls has brought awareness to the continuing air pollution problem all across the globe. It has been presented in the United States of America in Pittsburgh, Charlotte, San Diego, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Worldwiide it has been presented in Paris for the COP21 conference, in Hagen, Germany and also Zagreb, Croatia for the Connecting Cities Event.

Particle Falls Artist - Andrea Polli

Video/Photo Documentation - Jared Rendon-Trompak