Cybernetic Junk Cake

by Matteo Pellegrini

E-waste, be it physical or digital, is a growing problem in our society. We create images on a daily bases and an ever increasing amount of data is stored worldwide, demanding always more infrastructure and power. We also buy machines that are made to break down, that are hard to repair and are made of rare and polluting elements.

Starting from tangible materials in the form of broken electronics and expanding to digital abstractions through 3D scans and AI generated images, Cybernetic Junk Cake is a layered work combining objects, images and data. In this process-centric work Matteo Pellegrini translates one form of e-waste from another as a gesture of recycling self-reflection. The work folds diverse media translation layers into a monumental installation representing our hidden and forgotten electronic junk — consequences of a cyber-consumer lifestyle predicated on obsolescence.

Research

For this work, I explored different techniques of 3D scanning. Starting from physical digital trash and gradually expanding into 3D models and textures. An exploration into 3D scanning and different tools to generate narratives and visuals from AI. This research was a way of learning about techniques and generating digital waste from physical e-waste.

Sources

[1] Steyerl H (2017) Digital Debris. Available from https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/3501-digital-debris.

[2] Jerzy Gawronski, Peter Kranendonk (2018) Bellow the Surface, the archaeological project of the North/South metro line. https://belowthesurface.amsterdam/en

[3] Joseph Kosuth (1965) One and Three Chairs. Moma Museum https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/joseph-kosuth-one-and-three-chairs-1965/

Data

These 3 objects were the starting point. respectively:

Intel BXTS13A LGA 2011 CPU Cooler Sony WalkMan DD-33 Series 01 tape reader MagSafe 60w L shaped power adapter

Prototypes & Experiment

Testing different 3D scanning methods and what recording what the scanning part looks like.

Trying out aidungeon.io as a way to generate narratives.

First attempt at combining 3D scans with my own digital junk (videos on my hard drive) and AI generated story.

Testing runwayml.com image generation from text.

Combination of 3D scanned objects and AI generated images from the technical name of these objects. The images are used in a similar way as a tracking pattern would be (background used to help with the tracking of 3D scanning)Cybernetic Junk Cake