Think about spending a few days apart from your smart-phone or computer. Most people become anxious from this thought. Almost everything we engage in is somehow dependant on technology. Further, we are continuously lured into obtaining the newer, slimmer, faster versions, which almost immediately become outdated. Predictably falling for the alluring advertisements, we exchange the slightly outdated models for the irresistibly new designs, unaware that our disposal rate is so high, that even major recycling companies are unable to keep up. Few know that most of our detritus is illegally exported, contaminating the landscapes of third world countries.
As these beautifully designed innovations infiltrate our daily life, we accept them as temporary extensions of our bodies, and it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine how we ever functioned without them. As our relationship with technology continues to evolve, will we loose our ability to recognize and define where the organic ends, and the manufactured begins? How will our behavior be altered? What kinds of societal, cultural, and environmental consequences will we face? Along with three years of research on electronic waste, these are the thoughts and questions that drove this body of work. Read Less