Atmospheric River is a revisualization of digital imagery into an ancient material, binding technology with the handmade; the present with the past, and bringing (more) attention to our current climate crisis. Stein used an image acquired on January 4, 2023, at 1:20 p.m. Pacific Standard Time by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite as inspiration to make this piece.

100 handmade terracotta tiles are the substrate for two glazes that were swirled together in individual ½ cup batches to create the color and line quality. The glaze was poured onto the tile for a generous and fluid application, following hand-drawn lines that charted out the image. The tiles were then fired to cone 5/2200°F in an electric kiln, leveraging the high heat to distort the image and create psychedelic glaze effects that conjure the theory of primordial soup, the galaxy and beyond, rivers, oceans, and other natural phenomena. The blue glaze in this piece is 100% studio bi-product collected in 2022 as a closed-loop sustainability experiment.

The undulating surface of the tile and grid formation references a well-used navigation map and brings the individual into the piece as a player in the climate crisis. It is an introspection on what it means to be a contributing factor to the tragedy of the climate crisis in the Anthropocene Epoch (The Anthropocene Epoch is a proposed geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change.), marking this moment in time of our collective experience of severe historic weather.

Collaborators:

Imaging: The original image was scaled and split into two color channels in order to be translated into ceramic material by University of Cincinnati intern Lam Do.

Clay processing: Rose Gitlin rolled and cut over 100 tiles for this piece as well as glaze testing, and overall studio support.

Lead installer: Cleat system and precision layout provided by Tyler Nagel.

Dimensions: 45" tall x 75" wide x 1.5" deep