EA
LS U P H RT
E
Summer
It seems that humans have an inherent difficulty in understanding scales, both very small and very large. Earthpulse allows visitors to gaze into the water that fills the deep quarry and understand the severity of the great chasm by the way it disappears into the dark.
Spring Winter Water Level
Fall
“We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in.� -Aldo Leopold
The change in roof height of the pavilion is based on the water level and the changing seasons, expressing that small changes can have profound impacts elsewhere.
ACID RAIN Acid rain is a by product of mining, quarrying, and the general burning of fossil fuels. Particulates (specifically sulfur dioxide) mix with moisture in the air and form a weak sulfuric acid which can lower pH levels and disrupt balances in delicate ecosystems.
1985
SO2 Emissions
1990 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created the Acid Rain Program which capped industrial sulfur dioxide emissions and resulted in an annual decrease of
300,000 TONS of Sulfur Dioxide.
Heavy Metal Content
Microorganism Growth
pH Levels
2008
EARTHPULSE
SO2 Emissions
[Although the acidity of rainfall has decreased] “full recovery of New England’s ecosystems will take time... It will be decades before we see ecosystems restored to their pre-industrial conditions.” -EPA
A device that measures the vital signs of the earth and expresses various conditions of the water in the WellsLamson Quarry on quantitative graphs. It helps both visitors and resident artists at the quarry understand both the scale of the quarry itself and the extent to which human actions can reach into precious ecosystems.
Roof as platform and enclosure The art studios are to be combined with the earthpulse monitoring space. The artists are encouraged to take part in the monitoring process, even allowing the device itself to inform their creative process.