JAMIE BLACKBURN
E-Waste Artworx
I am honored to reveal my triptych called “E-Waste Artworx.” This project has taught me about the environmental catastrophe of electric waste and has inspired me to spread awareness through my art. A collaboration with @MSPDisposal has gifted me the ability to promote true sustainability by working with unusable IT equipment. From each panel, the amount of e-waste used decreases and the panels becomes "cleaner." With our efforts we hope this to be a reality for the future.
Panel 1
The first panel of this triptych communicates how, although computers and phones evolve over time, our old technology ends up in landfills. As e-waste breaks down, greenhouse gases and toxic metals are released into the air, it contributes to climate change.
Developing countries commonly become the dumping grounds of old electronics. E-waste is nonbiodegradable. When technology is disposed of improperly, metals are trapped in the surrounding soil. Dangerous e-waste metals in landfills can release toxins that seep down into ground water. Polluted ground water flows into larger bodies of water like streams, rivers and lakes, turning them acidic and toxic. As a result, wildlife and surrounding communities are left without safe drinking water and rivers become barren.
Panel 2
Teaming up with MSP Disposal and CEO, Brooks Boland, has led to substantial amounts of IT equipment to find new life as art. MSP Disposal deals with buying, selling, and repurposing electronics. They have provided the materials needed for these panels, such as monitors, keyboards, circuit boards and clock kits. Brooks and I are working with other artists and developing additional projects to achieve our goal of sustainability.
Junk drawers are a graveyard of outdated electronics. When we leave our old devices to die, we are ignoring their potential for new life. In the future, with the help of MSP Diposal, we can empty drawers like these and reinvent “junk” into artwork.
Panel 3
The third panel describes how data has changed through the evolution of technology. Now, data servers and "the cloud hold" our information, so physical hardware isn't needed. As we look to the future of technology, we must not leave old technology rotting in landfills.