echoes is a mobile Augmented Reality (AR) application that immerses viewers in the environmental history of the Belmont Pier in Long Beach, California. This digital arts project sheds light on decades of hazardous waste dumping and industrial pollution that plague the coastline, contributing to 50 Superfund sites identified by the EPA as of 2024.

Using echoes, viewers embark on a guided “toxic tour” of the Belmont Pier, uncovering stories, data visualizations, soundscapes and visual narratives by accessing our website or scanning QR codes.

echoes is a work in progress, to be completed in 2025.

Scan a QR code placed along the pier to access the experience. Start your walk with a story from a local fisher, and continue to experience meditative soundscapes and other audio descriptions.

ArcGIS will be utilized to accurately overlay maps of toxic sites. This mockup represents a small portion of a significant DDT dumping zone, which could contain hundreds of thousands of barrels of the extremely toxic chemical. First developed as a pesticide, DDT is toxic to humans and wildlife.

AR overlays visualize data and oral histories about contaminated sites, like a nearby tire dumpsite leaking dangerous amounts of DDT into the ocean.