Due to our rapid advancement, seemingly new equipment, like fax machines, printers, an Apple IIe, [have been] rendered irrelevant, only a couple of years after their initial release.
Brother, the company responsible for some of this “innovation,” has found a creative use for this tech detritus by putting some of their old printers to work in “The Printer Orchestra” a cool video that shows old equipment performing Dylan’s classic anthem. Now, here’s hoping they disposed of the equipment responsibly after the “orchestra” performed.
Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are a-Changing’ Performed by Old Computers | Technology on GOOD
This is my creation for the “Tree of the Year” competition.
The materials in the tree are circuits from electronic waste.
All materials are recycled.
We thought we’d seen Christmas trees made from just about everything. Now there’s this cool one made from e-waste! Love!
Self-taught African Teen Wows M.I.T. (by thnkrtv)
15-Year-Old Kelvin Doe is an engineering whiz living in Sierra Leone who scours the trash bins for spare parts, which he uses to build batteries, generators and transmitters. Completely self-taught, Kelvin has created his own radio station where he broadcasts news and plays music under the moniker, DJ Focus.
Keyboard skull, made by South Africa-based artist Maurice Mbikayi, who incorporates computer components, among various found objects, into his work.
The resultant mixed media drawings and sculptures ask questions such as to whom such technological resources are made available and at what or whose expense? What are the consequences impacting on our people and environment?
Find more info and photos on his site here.
(Photo via Juxtapoz Magazine)
Above: Peter McFarlane’s Circuit Board Work
I recently saw the 60 Minutes documentary “The Electronic Wasteland”, about the unscrupulous disposal of toxic computer garbage, and now I’m determined to cling to my iPhone for as long as humanly possible, until it’s utterly unusable. Despite these efforts to control my e-waste footprint, none of it means that my iJunk won’t end up in the pile eventually anyway.
But there must be some way to stop this! If only everyone creatively recycled their dead and dying computer devices. With a little bit of imagination, making “yesterday’s latest technology” into beautiful pieces of art is a nice way to avoid sending the stuff off to fester in a developing country. Here are examples of eight artworks that give us an idea of the range of possibilities for what old computers, cellphones, televisions, and common electronic parts can become.
More: 8 Projects Turning Deadly E-waste Into Beautiful, Non-deadly Works Of Art | The Creators Project
Technological mandala 02 (The beginning) - Leonardo Ulian
Ulian’s work in repurposing electronic components, including resistors and transistors, among other items, is pretty cool. Love this detail shot:
More mandalas made from upcycled things can be found here.
ecoATM is an automated machine for depositing old mobile phones and MP3 players in exchange for cash.
It can distinguish between 4,000 different types of electronic devices with 97.5% accuracy to give you an appropriate amount of money. The machine can also tell if a device has damage, like a cracked screen, to help determine how much it is worth.
Last year, 460 million pounds of electronics were collected and recycled in the U.S., a 53% increase from 2010, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
Wondering what to do with your unwanted electronic devices?
The Wall Street Journal reporter Katie Boehret provides information on eight companies, including Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, and Dell, that accept non-working or otherwise unwanted items: When the Time Is Up for Your Old Gadgets - WSJ.com
(We’ve covered some of this e-cycling information on Tumblr here and here, and on the Unconsumption wiki here.)
Recycling Of Personal Electronics Rose 53 % In 2011 - PSFK
Some highlights from the First Annual Report of the eCycling Leadership Initiative [PDF link] as summarized by our friends at PSFK:
- Participants of the eCycling Leadership Initiative arranged for the responsible recycling of 460 million pounds of consumer electronics, a 53 percent increase over the 300 million pounds recycled in 2010.
- Electronics manufacturers and retailers increased the number of recycling drop-off locations for consumers nationwide to nearly 7,500 from just over 5,000 a year ago.
- By the end of 2011, 96 percent of the recycling done by eCycling Leadership Initiative participants was conducted in third-party certified recycling facilities.
- CEA launched GreenerGadgets.org to educate consumers about eCycling and energy consumption. By entering a ZIP code, anyone can locate the closest responsible recycling opportunity sponsored by the CE industry and/or third-party certified recycler.
Call Me Waldo by Noah Scalin
Noah Scalin (mentioned previously on Unconsumption here), creator of the Skull-A-Day project, among other things, made this piece out of used electrical outlets and switches — a commission for a theater company in New York City.
Recycled electronic waste made into furniture by Rodrigo Alonso (N+ew: No More Electronic Waste).
From Rodrigo’s website:
(N+ew: No More Electronic Waste) Stool-sculpture-instalation, produced with electronic waste, epoxic resin and melted aluminum. Produced in limited editions, or special orders. Each is a single, unique piece; non is equal in its filling. Able to personalize.
Hand made.
This collection is posible thanks to the support of Recycla.
We’ve spotted Apple iMacs upcycled into “iMaquariums” (aquariums), and old televisions repurposed as pet beds and storage. And we’ve come across keyboards and other computer parts upcycled in a variety of new ways.
Now here’s a different e-waste reuse to add to the mix: Monitor shells used as community trash bins. (via TreeHugger)
