New York artist Jordan Weber has created a public "regenerative sculpture" in the shape of two crowns worn by African queens to monitor the air pollution of a Detroit neighbourhood as part of a project to combat the "effects of discriminatory urban planning".
Called New Forest, Ancient Thrones, the installation indicates the air quality through a sensor system and is meant to track the progress of the surrounding landscaping in mitigating air pollution.
Artist Jordan Weber has created a sculpture that monitors air pollution in Detroit
Supported by local organisations Sidewalk Detroit and Canfield Consortium, the sculpture is part of the ongoing Detroit Remediation Forest project by Weber, which includes multiple installations in the city's East Canfield Village neighbourhood. According to Sidewalk Detroit, the "permanent, site-specific regenerative installation" is a gateway to East Canfield Pavilion Park. It consists of gold-painted aluminium rods shaped to resemble crowns worn by historical queens Ranavalona III of Madagascar and Idia of Benin, interwoven.
It was made from aluminium tubes. Photo is by Jasmin Sumlin
A monitoring system and LED lights affixed to the sculpture indicate the level of harmful air pollutants, or particulate matter (PM), surrounding the structure and can be analyzed by the public through the JustAir phone app.
The artist sought to mitigate and bring attention to the health effects of poor air quality and urban develo...