This handcrafted hybrid publication explores the social implications and materiality of digital communication. The social implications are addressed in three essays from "The Shadowbook" by Miriam Rasch. The digital extension and materiality of the publication focus on the environmental impact of the resources required for digital communication. The cover and binding were crafted using the interiors of old cables.
Dissected wires
"The Shadowbook" examines the effects of digital communication on our social life and psyche. Through my publication, I aim to provide an additional critical perspective on the subject of digital communication. The materiality of digital communication involves tangible gadgets that inflict substantial environmental damage. The lack of recycling increases the demand for resource extraction needed to produce digital devices such as computers and smartphones.
Furthermore, improper disposal results in e-waste that is thrown into landfills, contaminating soil, water, and affecting human health. Only 17% of the world's electronic waste is properly recycled. The urgency of my publication is to inform people about the elements in a smartphone and its recyclability, aiming to change their views on broken digital devices. Instead of seeing them as trash to put into a bin or drawer, people should view them as collections of precious recyclable materials that can help avoid further mining.
My editorial approach for this publication is to make the problem tangible by using materials relevant to the urgent message. These materials also inspire the design of the type, icons, and images. A similar approach is applied to the digital component of the publication. The main quality of an analog medium is its physicality. This is used to confront the reader with parts of a broken smartphone as well as cables. Not only are the materials in cables a major part of e-waste, but they also consist of the main elements found in a smartphone, such as aluminum, plastics, and copper.
The digital part of the publication is designed for phone use only so that while people inform themselves about the elements found in a smartphone, they are also holding one. To connect the digital and analog, every time a smartphone is mentioned in the essays of "The Shadowbook," the word is highlighted in an electric wire typeface and accompanied by an icon portraying a relevant element of the periodic table found in a smartphone. Information about the element is displayed in the digital publication and is referenced by the icon.
QR code to digital component
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2023 - Where phones go to die