Pages

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

UK-based artist makes powerful statement about e-waste with insect sculptures



Where does your trash go? In a trash can or a recycling bin, of course. But where does it go after that, once it has funneled its way through the waste management system? Where does it actually end?

If you’re getting rid of a piece of technology, chances are you’re trying to do the responsible thing and recycle it. The ideal for technology recycling is that the component you’re discarding gets repurposed or at least disposed of safely.

That isn’t always the reality. In many case, that phone or computer you’re getting rid of becomes e-waste. Shipped off to a foreign country for workers to pick apart in unsafe, potentially life-threatening situations, e-waste has been a concern for decades.

Julie Alice Chappell is trying to bring attention to the e-waste epidemic with her art; small, decorative insects created from discarded technology like copper wires, motherboards and capacitors.

In a recent interview with the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Chappell talked about her influences, her love of actual insects and just how labor intensive it is to create one of these bugs.

Read the full interview at the link above, or check out all of Chappell’s art at her Facebook page.

No comments:

Post a Comment