Nor Tijan says her art must speak not just aesthetically but also through the materials used. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
In a world increasingly dominated by technology, the byproducts of our digital age – electronic waste, or ewaste – have become an environmental challenge of immense proportions.
According to global data and business intelligence platform Statista, electronic waste has become one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world. With 62 million metric tonnes generated across the world in 2022, the volume of discarded electronic material has nearly doubled since 2010.
Despite this growth, waste management remains inadequate, with over three-quarters of ewaste still going undocumented. What’s more worrying is that it has been forecast that ewaste generation will exceed 80 million metric tonnes by 2030. The Department Environment (DOE) estimates that Malaysia will generate 24.5 million units of ewaste in 2025.
In 2022, cellphones accounted for 16.23 metric tonnes of ewaste, computers were 995.04 metric tonnes and televisions were 771.14 metric tonnes.
The most efficient way to reduce ewaste is to reuse what we already have. However, Statista says that only 22.3% of ewaste generated worldwide, or roughly 14 million metric tonnes, was documented as collected and properly recycled in 2022.
The fate of the remaining millions of metric tonnes of ewaste generated annually is mostly unknown, with a large share ending up in landfills, including toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium and mercury. When exposed to heat, these chemicals seep into the soil, water and air, harming the environment and compromising the health of nearby communities.
Creating awareness Down Under
Amidst the piles of discarded gadgets and obsolete electronics, creative and resourceful artists from around the globe have seen potential for innovation and expression.
These artists have and continue to address the critical issue of ewaste, often transforming it into captivating works of art that can ignite conversations about the environmental impact of ewaste.
By harnessing the power of creativity, these artists hope to bridge the gap between art and activism, captivating audiences and encouraging them to take action.
Bullock combines traditional casting and sculptural carving with digital scanning and fabrication to create 3D representations of obsolete, embedded technologies. — ANDREW CURTIS
In 2022, Melbourne-based artist Dr Michael Bullock created a sculpture called A Natural History Of Digital Rubbish, highlighting the ewaste crisis. Inspired by German philosopher Walter Benjamin’s thoughts on obsolescence as part of modernity, Bullock emphasised that our digital age accelerates this issue, with devices designed for short lifespans leading to millions of tonnes of ewaste annually.
The artwork, resembling a cross-section of stromatolite, uses layers of ewaste like phones and chargers to mimic geological formations. Combining traditional sculptural techniques with digital fabrication, it vividly illustrated the scale of ewaste and warned of a future burdened by it if left unaddressed.
In an email interview, Bullock says: “I made the artwork in 2022. It was a commission by the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University (Australia). The title of the artwork was inspired by a book by the cultural studies author, Jennifer Gabrys, Digital Rubbish: A Natural History Of Electronics.
“The themes of the book corresponded with my own ideas about obsolete technology. In part, this inspiration was fuelled by a trip to Mumbai in 2019 while studying for my PhD, where I witnessed the stock piling of obsolete technologies and the dismemberment of these objects into their last vestiges of value. It was a shocking and lasting experience for me.”
Bullock says that the response to his work has been pretty good. “People have been engaged with the ideas offered by the artwork and are curious and surprised by the materiality of the work. They ask questions.”
Bullock says art may not provoke us to march in the street in protest, but it challenges the way we think, encourages deep reflection, and can inspire change. — MICHAEL BULLOCK
His artistic statement for the sculpture reads: “The digital realm is often perceived as post-material, where images, media and information are transmitted from one device to another. Nevertheless, electronic devices become outdated from one year to the next, are stockpiled or shipped overseas to be recycled, and the last economic value is extracted from them, often in unsafe and dangerous circumstances.
“The motif for the sculpture draws from scientific representations of the natural world, with reference to geology, palaeontology, and archaeology. One mode is the cross-sectional diagram, where matter is sliced away from a surface to show different layers of time.
“The traditional sculptural languages of casting and sculptural relief, along with newer techniques of digital scanning and fabrication, are used to form a three-dimensional imagination of obsolete, embedded, sedimented technologies that are A Natural History Of Digital Rubbish.”
The sculpture is housed in the Woodside building, a new and really big building that is part of the Clayton campus at Monash University in Australia.
He adds: “In some ways, I see the artwork as site-specific artwork. It can be viewed by the students and staff who work in this building, and while the sculpture is quite big by my standard, the artwork is dwarfed by the scale of the building. The artwork was itself a commission from the Faculty of Information Technology, and the commission was inspired by staff who wanted people to consider the amount of ewaste that is generated by contemporary society and what the lifetime of these objects may be after they are useful.”
Whether art can inspire change or not, Bullock reckons, is a big question that has been considered for a long time.
“It’s a philosophical question. Artistic expression is a fundamental part of the skill set of any artist, and artists always respond to the most pressing and urgent concerns of their lives and the world they live in.
“These concerns traverse so many things, from the most humble observation to the most grand one, from the personal to the shared social, the historical to the contemporary, to the built environment and to the natural world. Arguably, this sense of urgency drives the best artistic motivations.
“However, art also needs an audience to move from expression to communication, allowing a viewer to confront, comprehend and understand these artistic concerns and works. This connection between artwork and viewer might take an instant or even a lifetime, but the artwork is always ‘there’.”
In the contemporary world, an artwork inhabits a unique place, digital images appear and disappear from digital screens, songs vanish into thin air, but a sculpture and painting exist as a real and tangible part of the world.
“Art may not provoke us to march in the street in protest, but it challenges the way we think, to think deeply, and then behave. So, yes,” Bullock says, “art can inspire change.”
Passage to India
In June this year, in conjunction with World Environment Day, Indian eco-artist Vishwanath Mallabadi Davangere created a larger-than-life 7.6m ewaste mural at the Orion Mall in Brigade Gateway, Bangalore, India.
The installation – built from DVDs, LED light domes, smartwatches, floppy disks, keyboards, processor chips, calculators, optical fibre cables, RFID sensor boards, electrolytic capacitors, carbon film resistors, copper wires and network cables – is going to be a long-term feature at the mall for the next year or so, as part of the mall’s commitment to tackling growing ewaste in the city by inspiring shoppers to rethink, recycle and reimagine what’s possible.
Viswanath (right) at the unveiling of his art piece, made from materials such as DVDs and floppy disks. It’s a long-term feature at a mall to inspire Soh-peers to rethink and recycle. — VISWANATH MALLABADI DAVANGERE
Vishwanath and Orion teamed up with Zolopik, an ewaste management company in Bangalore, which provided a collection of ewaste for the task.
The artist, who began upcycling ewaste in 2004, is well-known in India for transforming scraps into works of art by fusing creativity and technology, giving second life to trash. In an online interview, he said that he’d always been fascinated by the intersection of technology and art.
“Growing up, I was surrounded by electronics and gadgets, and I saw how quickly they became obsolete and were discarded. I realised that this problem wasn’t just about waste management but also about the incredible potential for creativity and storytelling that lay within these discarded materials. I started experimenting with ewaste as a medium because it allowed me to explore the beauty in the imperfect, the discarded, and the forgotten.”
Vishwanath sources materials from various places – thrift stores and bazaars, directly from friends, recyclers and manufacturers who are willing to part with their excess inventory. “I’ve developed relationships with some suppliers who understand my vision and provide me with a constant stream of amazing ewaste with vivid colours, textures and shapes.”
Vishwanath believes that his work serves as a catalyst for people to think differently about electronic waste.
He says: “By transforming discarded electronics into art, I’m highlighting the value and beauty that can be found in what would otherwise be considered useless. My art encourages people to reconsider their relationship with technology and to think about the consequences of their actions on the environment.
“It’s not just about creating something aesthetically pleasing; it’s about sparking a conversation around sustainability and our responsibility to reduce waste. Typically, individuals are drawn to cutting-edge technology for its enticing features. I suggest they reconsider and buy such gadgets thoughtfully.
“Ultimately, this prompts individuals to rethink their views on waste and inspires them to creatively contribute to a more circular economy. I’ve had collectors and enthusiasts reach out to me, sharing their own stories of upcycling and repurposing ewaste, which has been incredibly inspiring.”
The artist’s process begins with a concept or idea. He then sources for the necessary and specific dismantled and segregated waste, which often takes time as he can be selective about the components he uses.
“Once I have all the discarded electronic gadgets or raw materials, I start disassembling them, cleaning them, and preparing them for transformation. “This is often the most challenging part: finding ways to preserve the original integrity of the electronics while still allowing me to reshape them into something new, unique and extraordinary. I use a combination of traditional techniques like soldering, welding and industrial adhesives alongside innovative methods like 3D printing, laser, waterjet cutting and so on.
“Challenges arise when I look for similar parts in large quantities and also when dealing with fragile components or when trying to balance form and function. To overcome these challenges, I rely on trial and error, experimenting with different approaches until I achieve the desired result.”
Malaysia boleh!
Malaysian artist/sculptor Nor Tijan Firdaus, who is based in Nilai, Negri Sembilan, began actively exhibiting close to a decade ago and has now become quite popular for her works made from ewaste.
‘I hope that my audience is able to interpret or uncover the meanings either expressly portrayed or implied in my art,’ says Nor Tijan.
While she was working on her Master’s in Fine Art thesis, Nor Tijan delved into topics of consumerism and environmental awareness, and her academic exploration spurred her to use man-made waste, and in particular ewaste, in her own art.
“It was at this time that I started seriously thinking about the environment and how I could transform ewaste into something more. It was easy enough to find the material I needed from ewaste collection centres.”
In the past, the artist has received much publicity for her artworks with components like cables, circuit boards, transformers and transistors, as well as discarded plastic and other materials that she used to recreate Western classics such as Johannes Vermeer’s Girl With The Pearl Earring and Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss.
In February of this year, her second solo exhibition, SEEK, continued to feature ewaste and tackle issues such as greed, human progress and the environment.
“I try to visualise current issues using the materials I find. Many of my newer works are related to the objects I have collected. I hope that my audience is able to interpret or uncover the meanings either expressly portrayed or implied in my art.”
Despite the creative fulfilment of creating such thought provoking pieces, she faces challenges, particularly in sourcing the right materials to fit her visual requirements.
“The difficulty lies in finding materials that are the right shape, colour and size because I am working with waste products, I have to use what I can find,” she notes. “This often necessitates risky and meticulous work with cutting machinery.”
Nor Tijan says that as a creative worker, her art must speak not just aesthetically but through the materials that are used as well. “Sometimes I try to use a particular type of raw material, whether electronic or plastic, to lead my audience to a certain messaging or meaning,” Nor Tijan says, adding that she hopes her art provokes critical thought and inspires a lifestyle change and sustainability mindset.
“Art can be a powerful means to convey these messages to a wide audience. And as an artist, I feel the responsibility to play my part.”
Sarawak-born contemporary artist Edroger Rosili, a Fine Arts graduate from UiTM, created twin pieces called Apa Kata Dunia in 2013, made out of keyboard keycaps. These artworks were inspired by Facebook and social media lifestyles in the 21st century, where everybody has the means to voice their opinions.
“It was about my feelings about social media at the time, more than a decade ago. I quit FB that year. Apa Kata Dunia was me sort of rephrasing the FB question ‘What’s on your mind?’, where people would tell others what they were doing and gather feedback from friends. This stirred in me questions of existentialism, which would often stress me out,” Edroger says, explaining that his works are usually based on ideas rather than material, and then he follows where the idea leads him, which in this case led to ewaste.
The young artist took six months to collect old keyboards from people online; none of the keys he used were new. “It took more than 200 keyboards for the twin pieces (Black Sand and Black Sea, 260 x 122cm each) and another two months to prep the caps, file them to lay flat, and another two months to put them together in the shape of the world map, with hidden words spelled out using the keycaps.”
Edroger spent six months collecting old keyboards for his art piece, highlighting society's constant desire for new gadgets despite already owning functional ones. — EDROGER ROSILI
Edroger says he is very soft-hearted when it comes to the environment and recycling. “I separate household waste, and in my later works, I started using discarded paper to make pulp clay and turn them into big sculptures. Ewaste is a growing concern as the world is changing rapidly, and this has accelerated production, driven by profit. There’s a hunger for new devices, even though old ones still work fine.”
Does the artist think a work of art has the power to impact the conversation around ewaste and environmental sustainability? He says that his piece, Apa Kata Dunia, was really a call for a universal thought process.
“We need to think more broadly when it comes to finding solutions for challenges such as ewaste. I made these pieces to depict shared universal values in the global conversation; to try to see if humanity has the same inherent vices and virtues.”
