This month in New York, the public is invited to view an exhibition that explores the creation, use, and disposal of electronic trash, which poses health and environmental hazards if it isn’t handled properly. The event, called “e-waste Tsunami” is a collaboration between StudioFYNN and the New School’s Parsons School of Design. The exhibition includes photographs, videos, and visual models that represent real data. The exhibit shows the entire life cycle of an electronic device as it travels around the world: from design, to being used by affluent Western consumers, and finally, often being exported to developing countries.
Understanding the interrelation of the ecosystems is key to the design of new products and services that will address and alleviate the e-waste problem. How can industrial design, which plays a major role in creating this problem, be part of its solution?
The school also hosted a panel discussion on design and policy for e-waste, which was held on March 11. The panel included designers, policy experts, and supply-chain participants, such as the CEO of Electronic Recyclers International. The group discussed raising awareness about the issue and best practices for reducing and disposing e-waste. The exhibition runs through March 26 at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center.
Source: New School | Photo by Shaun Fynn
