Zero1 Impact Art AT Exchange
In Search of Truth: Post-Industrial Ecology
Abstract
“In Search of Truth” expresses a collective concern towards an excessive trust, dependency, and reliance on new technologies in the digital age by tackling some of its troubles — such as the digital self, artificial intelligence, and mobile tracking — or by speculating on “true” presents and futures.
Myself and two other designers (Stephanie Andrews, and Marlys Mandaville) decided to create an exhibition piece that unravels the hard truths of living in a post-industrial world. Specifically on the unseen damage our industrial lives have brought upon our planet. Key topics from this exhibition piece included: how industry has scarred our planet with the ubiquity of human-made waste, and how one could forage in a post-industrial world that has been significantly altered by industry.
This exhibition piece aimed to:
Be community oriented (specifically around the SF Bay Area
Exist outside of a traditional art gallery
Be made with found and foraged materials that subvert traditional pathways of creation and consumption in both art and electronics
Grow and envision collective truth and awareness around the future of electronics in a post-industrial world
The following photos and text will only cover my contribution to this project which was an interactive planter made from a repurposed microwave.
Media Links
This exhibition was meant to be interactive where users would used conductive ink to connect one of two electrical traces on a sheet of paper. One of the electrical traces would control an LED grow light while the other would control a solenoid valve that would water the plants when opened.
Part of the educational aspect of this exhibition piece was to teach visitors how to take care of phytoremediative plants, which remove post-industrial toxins from the soil. Such toxins can be found in superfund sites.
The planter was originally sourced from a metal recycling bin. During the modification process, special care was made to ensure the majority of the components were reused in the planter conversion. For example, the front door grill as an irrigation grill for the base.
The microwave planter was then painted fluorescent pink, which would react to blacklight. The original idea was to present the exhibit under blacklight to mimic the bright and unnatural colors that toxic waste can take (such as the rainbow gradient seen in oil slicks).
The electronics controlling the LED grow light and irrigation system were housed inside the microwave enclosure.
