D-Beacon

D-Beacon is an attempt to develop a sensing observatory for fine particulate matter (Dutch: fijnstof). It looks for autonomous methods of demonstration that go beyond turning dust into data. The project aims to decentralize the governance of data about visible and invisible dust phenomena and to explore the artistic potential of the dust itself.

Haarlem, one of the most air-polluted cities, paradoxically has no PM2.5 monitoring stations. In response, a sensing observatory, D-Beacon 1.0, was installed in the backyard of Nieuwe Vide. Against the prevailing trend of reducing pollution phenomena to data, the installation embodies the act of sensing, reappropriating data monitoring technology to create a tangible, instinctual experience. It translates local PM2.5 readings and meteorological data, such as wind speed and direction, temperature, and humidity, into immediate movements of the observatory. These movements activate the atmospheric scenography work D-Scape 1.0 in the indoor exhibition space, and the observatory also serves as the unofficial first PM2.5 monitoring station in Haarlem.