COSTA MESA : What Is This Thing Called Smog?

Pink and purple painted mufflers are fused together to make what looks like a monster standing on three legs. One end of the beast stretches to the ceiling, where it mimics breaking through the roof; the other connects to a gray and white sketch of a human lung.

This piece, which was installed in the teachers’ library at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District offices, and two other similar ones were part of the Smog Collectors exhibit that finished a two-week run this week in the district compound.

All are by Los Angeles artist Kim Abeles and are meant to show her idea of the relationships among the atmosphere, autos and the health of people who live in areas where smog is a fact of life.

Library Supervisor Michael C. Reed has been looking out from behind the library counter at the twisted structure for the past two weeks, and he--like many vistors to the library--hasn’t been quite sure what to make of it.

“The teachers come in here all the time,” Reed said. “Some love it. Some say, ‘What is that thing?’ ”

Abeles’ exhibit has been traveling around the Southland for the past year. District officials did not know where the exhibit would be displayed next.

In a statement that is part of the show, Abeles calls the pieces “reminders of our industrial decisions: The road we took that seemed so modern.”

Smog is not only in the title and theme of the exhibit, it also makes up a critical part of the show. The sketches that attach to the metal creatures were created with smog particles.

In a statement, Abeles explains that to make the sketches, she would make a stencil of the design she wanted--human lungs for one piece, a car engine for another, for example.

She put the stencils on transparent paper and then set them on the roof of her studio to collect airborne particles.

“ ‘Smog Collectors’ are both the literal and metaphorical depictions of the current conditions of our life source,” she states.

Accompanying each piece are English and Spanish-language copies of her statement about the exhibit, along with information about smog.

One, called Environmental Tips for Your Car, includes suggestions for reducing smog, such as minimizing use of car air conditioners, recycling car oil and not topping off the tank at the gas station.