PROJECT INFORMATION

AIR [Area's Immediate Reading]

HQ Lounge
Sunday, September 17
5:00 pm–7:00 pm

	AIR [Area's Immediate Reading]
	Preemptive Media

AIR is a public, social experiment in which people are invited to use Preemptive Media's portable air monitoring devices to explore their neighborhoods and urban environments for pollution and fossil fuel burning hotspots. Participants or "carriers" are able to see pollutant levels in their current locations, as well as simultaneously view measurements from the other AIR devices in the network. An on-board GPS unit and digital compass, combined with a database of known pollution sources such as power plants and heavy industries, allow carriers to see their distance from polluters and other AIR devices. In addition, the devices regularly transmit data to a central database allowing for real time data visualization on the project website (www.pm-air.net). While AIR is designed to be a tool for individuals and groups to self identify pollution sources, it also serves as a platform to discuss energy politics and their impact on environment, health and social groups in specific regions.

AIR was conceived and produced by Preemptive Media (Beatriz da Costa, Jamie Schulte and Brooke Singer). This project was made possible with support from Eyebeam/Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's 2005 Social Sculpture Commission. Special thanks to: Melanie Crean, Theodore Watson, Evan Harper, Rob O'Neill, Amanda McDonald Crowley and Perry Lowe of Eyebeam and Adam Kleinman and Radhika Subramaniam of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. AIR was developed in conjunction with the PigeonBlog, a project by Beatriz da Costa with Cina Hazegh and Kevin Ponto. AIR's data visualization was developed with Theodore Watson and the device case with Evan Harper of Eyebeam's Production Studios as part of the 2005 Social Sculpture Commission program.

return to projects overview

site map | privacy policy | terms of service