As it’s said “Art is in the eye of beholder” but how does an artist, or a scientist for that matter, describe that which is unseen to the eye? In this case, an artist has visually described the Earth’s atmosphere in an unusual way.
“Art is in the eye of beholder” but how do you visualize it? In the HVAC industry you are filtering, compressing, conditioning, measuring, pushing and pulling our atmosphere on a daily basis. How do you see air?
At Sea Level, (the bottom of our atmosphere) the air density weighs (yes weighs) approximately 13.5Lbs/Ft3 with 21% oxygen. This is due priamarily to the earth’s gravitational pull. The farther away from the earth’s surface, the density of air decreases.
With a decrease in air denisty at higher altitudes, living things must take in more Ft3 of air to recieve that same volume of air and oxygen. A visual example of this could be a timberine on a tall mountain. While timberline elevations vary for several reasons, it’s simply harder to breathe up there.
Artist Kiersten Puusemp describes her untitled 2011 large-scale land art project, according to the High Desert Test Sites, as; “While the percentage of oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere is the same at all altitudes, the density of the air and thus the amount of oxygen available to human lungs decreases at higher altitudes. At these locations decreased atmospheric pressure causes there to be fewer molecules per breath. In the 17th century, this pressure function came to be understood when it was discovered that air was not a void or a weightless ether but had mass on which the earth’s gravity was exerting a pull. With this information it was possible to understand that the earth’s “surface” was not the top of something but the bottom – the floor of a massive ocean of air.”
No doubt, the 17th century influence was Evangelista Torricelli, the inventor of the mercury barometer who wrote “We live submerged at the bottom of an ocean of the element air, which by unquestioned experiments is known to have weight.”.
This installation is a unique way to visualize earth’s atmosphere, air density, and fluid dynamics that have led to the modern HVAC&R principles applied.
Want To Visit This Installation?
- Google Maps Location 48Q7+5W, Bush, CA 92277
- Regerences:
About Q Applied Systems
Q Applied Systems Corp is a manufacturer’s representative of HVAC and moisture control equipment and systems as well as fume and dust collection products. To learn more about these commercial and industrial products you can contact Q Applied Systems or visit our website for more information.
