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zero dogma [ Think Tank ], LaG - Latent Glitch [ Media Art ]

Unit / 

Spatial Forces

Traceable Matters*

Unearthing the origins of our digital world: What if your devices came with an 'Extraction Facts' label, revealing the hidden costs behind technology?

Category

May 1, 2023

Date

Area

sqm

This project critically investigates the unseen materials and processes behind the production of an iPhone, tracing its raw materials back to mines scattered across the globe. By engraving the list of ingredients—copper, tellurium, lithium, cobalt, manganese, tungsten, aluminum, iron, gold, chlorine, silver, palladium, zinc, lead, platinum, sulfur, nickel, silicon, gallium, bromine, indium, antimony, barium, titanium, niobium, tantalum, boron, manganese, ruthenium, and other extracted matter—onto the back of the device using laser technology, the piece confronts the hidden ecological and social impacts of our digital world.

In addition to the engraved ingredients, an "Extraction Facts" label, designed to mimic nutritional labels found on food packaging, was added to highlight the environmental footprint left by manufacturing an iPhone. The label reveals startling data: 64 kg CO2e for one iPhone, with minerals comprising 30% of the footprint, labor at 10%, and manufacturing taking a staggering 60%—broken down into production (40%), assembly (20%), and supply chain (10%).

The project critically speculates on the future of technology, drawing from the work in Media Geology by scholars like Jussi Parikka, and stresses the physical reality of digital devices. The final object is a reimagined iPhone—an artifact of critique—highlighting the intersection of material extraction, global supply chains, and the overlooked environmental costs embedded in our everyday gadgets. Through this piece, we are invited to consider: why doesn't every phone come with a list of its ingredients or extraction facts? And what does that omission say about our relationship with technology?

Project Team

Firas Safieddine

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