Challenge

Is it possible to recycle gold and other metals from old electronic devices, and raise awareness of the effects of the mining industry?

Action

Golden Trash-Future Past provides simple and fun methods to recycle e-waste in order to reflect on value, aging technology, and circular economy.
This immersive experience consists of three components:
1. Field research: We scout out and visit places to collect old electronic devices, such as computers, mobile phones, printers, and more.
2. Community building: We organize a workshop to safely remove the circuit boards with gold, including a technical process to extract it in an eco-friendly method.
3. Presentation: The results are shown in an immersive, interactive exhibition.

It works!

Golden Trash Future Past has been previously shown in Taipei, Taiwan, and it has proven to be very effective in bringing people together to learn more about the dirty side of the mining industry. It helps us to better understand the beneifts of circular economy, the implications of aging and discarded technology, and find the human side of industrial recycling. It’s also a lot of fun! The last presentation included a large-scale paper-craft model of a Nokia phone inspired by Zhizha, a traditional Taoist paper art, and Mexican piñatas!