Dear Inversion Documentary Supporters,

As promised, this is the second in a series of updates about progress with the Inversion documentary film project. I’m happy to say that email is a string of feel-good information:

• Inversion: the trailer! This film trailer, along with some early generous contributions, helped us raise some much-needed funding. I’m delighted to share that the film has raised over $85,000! Notable grants were received from The Heinz Endowments Small Arts Initiative, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and Rogovy Foundation. Not to brag, but Inversion was one of 5 films selected out of 236 submissions to the Rogovy Foundation! To do everything we want to do, we would need to raise well over $200,000, but $85,000 allows us to move in earnest towards a final cut. Your support can help us get closer towards that $200,000+ target.

• Footage in the can! During the last year I have filmed additional interviews and some stunning b-roll around the region. After several years of filming, I have now recorded over 200 hours of hearings, rallies, interviews, and scenic footage. All along, I have been enchanted by footage/photos in which you can *see* the ordinarily invisible air around us, like this image I captured in October 2022: (https://flickr.com/photos/9602574@N02/52408678702/in/album-72177720302686434/):

• Monitor proliferation! People are using PurpleAir monitors and SmellPGH tools more and more. As of December 2022, I can count over 140 monitors in the region—and I’ve personally installed dozens of them over the years. The best part is that MANY people are now deploying PurpleAir monitors. The maps below shows how many PurpleAirs have been added since 2017. Each dot is a monitor!

• But that’s just the beginning! The EPA has funded the deployment of many dozens more low-cost monitors for Southwestern PA. Even the Allegheny County Health Department has begun to work with these monitors (source)! People are talking! I continue to tweet (@inversion_doc) about and encourage an online community around poor air quality days with the #Stinkburgh hashtag, and you can see some of the social media stats for yourself below (screenshot taken on 11/12/2022):

 

I hope this little burst of good news has you excited. I know that Pittsburgh has a long way to go, but we are making real progress, and that’s worth celebrating! When we work together and ask the tough questions, change is possible.

Stay tuned for my third and final end-of-year update…coming soon.

And if you have any questions about anything, please feel free to reach out to me at mark@lens.blue. 

Until then, have a happy holiday season!

Best,

Mark Dixon

Director, Inversion Documentary

Inversion: The Unfinished Business of Pittsburgh’s Air is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Inversion: The Unfinished Business of Pittsburgh’s Air must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donate Now.

Explore and share Inversion Documentary’s website: synopsis, resources, and director’s statement at https://inversiondoc.com/.