A new art exhibit opened this week at DePaul University, showing off the origins of photography and the landscape of Chicago.

Artists Lauren Bon, Richard Nielsen and Tristan Duke turned a shipping container into the world’s largest pinhole camera and traveled around the Great Lakes Region taking the photos on display at “Liminal Infrastructure.” The floating study reveals an unusual view of the Windy City’s built and natural environment, from waterways to transportation infrastructure.

“The liminal camera breaks down the photographic process to its most basic and raw elements,” said Greg Harris, curator of the exhibition. “It makes people step back and think about how photographs originally came into the world, and that is really important in a time when our lives are inundated and saturated with digital images.”

The exhibition includes large-scale photographs of the Chicago landscape, measuring up to eight feet on the longest side. Harris said that these dramatic proportions are uniquely suited for extreme horizontal and vertical photos. “Perfect for the prairie city that gave birth to the skyscraper,” he said.

Jardine water treatment plant (Credit: DePaul University/Joshua White)

Entrance to the Chicago Stockyards (Credit: DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)

Ferris wheel at Navy Pier (Credit: DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)

The exhibition will run through August 9th at the DePaul Art Museum.