Re-Forming Materials

Human material turnover has grown so much that there is now an average of one kilogram of concrete for every square metre of earth’s surface. The use, weathering, and decay of buildings have created new minerals and mineral-like materials. Others were formed in mines, through fires in coal seams, or when waste materials decomposed in landfills. Over 200 of the 5,208 officially known minerals are now attributed to human creation. Re-Forming Materials features a cloud of anthro- pogenic minerals hanging in the air, and includes information about the locations of where they were found and the process of their formation.