Times of Waste − the residue

Waste is perceived differently depending on the context. It may be a promising resource or an unavoidable residue. “Times of Waste” focuses on the life of a smartphone: this typical example of the everyday technology of our age leaves many types of waste behind, starting from when the raw materials are extracted.

The exhibition follows a smartphone and its component parts as they are shipped and recycled, encountering landfill sites and shredders, repair shops, research laboratories and a variety of materials and people along the way. Examples of current challenges are illustrated and questions asked about possible courses of action in the era of electronic waste.

This exhibition forms part of the “Times of Waste” research project of the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.