The Cabled
By Weronika Uyar
Are we aware of the amount of e-waste we produce? What about the cables which provide electricity to all our digital products?
The Cabled is an analog installation and performance which has the purpose of confronting the viewer with images indicating the estimated amount of e-waste production based researched conducted by UN University as well as a weaving frame with a certain pattern symbolizing the constant production of digital waste, coming out of it. The Cabled contains Weronika's personal cable trash and all the materials are used in a cycle, loosing their value but gaining a divergent meaning through a zooming-out effect. The images of data created are inspired by different digital scales: from pixels to CPUs.
Research
The images made for the installation are based on a detailed research on e-waste and cables. The main investigation question was "How to translate the data of predicted increase of e-waste?" and " How much cable waste do we produce?". Main purpose was taking the concept of the e-waste cable increase from a personal level to a general level, using and reusing the actual waste of cables in order to create a mixed-media installation showing the viewer this data in a graphic way.
Sources
[1] Pandey, Kiran (2020), E-waste to increase 38% by 2030:Report, Available from https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/e-waste-to-increase-38-by-2030-report-72114 (accessed 24 May 2021)
[2] Mahy, Elisabeth (2020) Can we fix our way out of the growing e-waste problem? BBC. Available from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51385344 (accessed 24 May 2021)
[3] Metcalfe, Stephen (2011) Time to stop our electronic waste being dumped on the developing world. The Guardian. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/electronic-waste-developing-world (accessed 24 May 2021)
[4] UN News Centre (2015), UN environment chief warns of ‘tsunami’ of e-waste at conference on chemical treaties, Available from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/electronic-waste-developing-world (accessed 24 May 2021)
[5] Miebach, Nathalie (2020) Weaving Weather During Quarantine. Available from http://nathaliemiebach.com/quarantine.html (accessed 24 May 2021)
Global e-waste — discarded electrical and electronic equipment — will increase by 38 per cent in the decade between 2020 and 2030, according to a new United Nations University (UNU) report. There was 53.6 million tonnes (MT) e-waste in 2019, according to the report. That is a nearly 21 per cent increase in just five years. Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019 — some 24.9 MT, followed by the Americas (13.1 MT) and Europe (12 MT). Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 MT and 0.7 MT respectively, the report said. [1]My work focuses on the intersection of art and science and the visual articulation of scientific observations. Using the methodologies and processes of both disciplines, I translate scientific data related to ecology, climate change and meteorology into three-dimensional structures. [5]This waste is becoming a huge problem. The 50 million tonnes of e-waste generated every year will more than double to 110 million tonnes by 2050, making it the fastest growing waste stream in the world, according to the author of a UN report. [2]The pace of change in technology is unrelenting. Electric and electronic products are outdated in the blink of an eye, consigned to the rubbish tip of history, and too often to the rubbish tip of the world. Electrical and electronic waste is the fastest growing stream of global waste and will continue to be dumped in those developing countries least equipped to deal with it properly. [3]Data
Data and image cluster Weronika worked with contains, personal waste, photos made of cables.
Prototypes & Experiments
Initial Sketches
Using the first tryout images to create a pattern showing the stacking up of data.
Further Sketches
Using the first tryout images to create a pattern showing the stacking up of data
Mockup Sketch
Image sizes increase in the ratio of the e-waste increase (each image represents 2 years with an increase of %8, 2020-2030 approx. %40)
Weaving Sketch
Using the collected debris material, using cables as weaving material.
The silver/reflective color resembles the color of the cable ends which are metal as well as aliminium used inside.
Electrical conductorsare made up of metals such as, copper, aluminum, etc. These metals are used to make wires.
Outcomes
Five images printed on textile with the sublimation printing technique, representing a zoom-in and out effect from a pixel>binary code> CPU> compression>city, while using same images over and over and representing the stacking of data. Whilts showing the statistics for the upcoming 10 years of increase in e-waste.
Weaved frame from e-waste, symbolizing the screen and the outrageous amount that doesn't fit in this scale, while keeping the idea of the pattern which is also presented in the images. The action of weaving with the cables in front of the audience showing how to re-use.