Smog Stones, 2020 -
Clay, smog [carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ground-level ozone (O₃), particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀), and assorted debris collected from streets throughout Los Angeles
Dimensions vary
Smog Stones are produced by rolling unfired clay spheres along selected streets across Los Angeles. Each stone is formed through direct contact with the urban surface, accumulating particulate matter, residue, and debris embedded in the ground. The resulting objects resemble the decorative river stones commonly used in freeway medians and exit landscapes.
Each stone corresponds to a specific geographic area and functions as a single-layered index of place, registering the pollutants and conditions present at the site of its formation. Variations in color, density, and surface texture reflect uneven exposure to airborne contaminants shaped by land use. Stones with darker coloration were rolled in areas adjacent to freeways, freight corridors, and industrial parks, where concentrations of pollution are significantly higher.
By translating invisible atmospheric pollution into a tactile and legible form, the work exposes how environmental harm is distributed unevenly across the city. The stones unearth the ecological, racial, and class-based dynamics embedded in Los Angeles’s built environment, revealing how infrastructure leaves material traces on bodies, neighborhoods, and landscapes over time.
Clay, smog [carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ground-level ozone (O₃), particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀), and assorted debris collected from streets throughout Los Angeles
Dimensions vary
Smog Stones are produced by rolling unfired clay spheres along selected streets across Los Angeles. Each stone is formed through direct contact with the urban surface, accumulating particulate matter, residue, and debris embedded in the ground. The resulting objects resemble the decorative river stones commonly used in freeway medians and exit landscapes.
Each stone corresponds to a specific geographic area and functions as a single-layered index of place, registering the pollutants and conditions present at the site of its formation. Variations in color, density, and surface texture reflect uneven exposure to airborne contaminants shaped by land use. Stones with darker coloration were rolled in areas adjacent to freeways, freight corridors, and industrial parks, where concentrations of pollution are significantly higher.
By translating invisible atmospheric pollution into a tactile and legible form, the work exposes how environmental harm is distributed unevenly across the city. The stones unearth the ecological, racial, and class-based dynamics embedded in Los Angeles’s built environment, revealing how infrastructure leaves material traces on bodies, neighborhoods, and landscapes over time.