Box Sixteen
Candidly inspired by environmental minimalist artist Robert Morris, Box Sixteen aspires to meet the middle territories of curious and unnerved by the rate at which technology grows. To pay homage to Box with the Sound of its Own Making – an early Morris piece from 1961, the faint sound of an iPhone rings repeatedly like the second-natured noise it has become in twenty-eighteen. Inside lay approximately twenty objects buried in soil and moss, representing their afterlives in the landfill, contributing to electronic waste. While there are plenty of reasons why electronic waste continuously builds such as purposeful-obsoletion of products to boost rapid product development — the kiss of death for technologies of the past are smartphones.
By understanding objects as individual life spans, the larger scope of environmental effects becomes clear. Old tech carries an aesthetic quality, though the glamour of using a record player is less convenient than Spotify on a daily basis. This pattern is hardly unique, as it reincarnates itself into newer available technologies coming out every year. The rate at which technology in itself grows has begun to startle environmental researchers and predictive analysts. In a 2018 study, it was forecasted that the United States alone produces a speculative nine and a half million tons of electronic waste per year. Further, only twelve-point four percent of Americans recycle electronic waste properly.
The required materials for creating products such as the iPhones, tablets, and laptops one encounters periodically are pushing unsafe ecological boundaries. The higher the demand for certain modern technologies, the increased need for deep mining in various countries until such raw materials can be procured. All the while in the surrounding landfills, obsolete tech sits along with batteries and lightbulbs- leaking mercury into the ground and festering rather than decomposing.
So why don’t more people seem to care? It’s too early for most people to understand their active duty and responsibilities yet. The public often waits until it’s too late to fix the problem, asking for forgiveness rather than permission. Additionally, people often choose convenience over preservation. The faint ringing of an iPhone interrupts the sensory experience of Box 16. This box is an algorithmic archive of obsolete environmental concerns and nostalgia, intermittently startled by the sound of its own making.
INVENTORY — accompanied by artist commentaries
1. 78 record: Assorted artists, “Music to Remember.”
2. 78 record: Tony Sandler & Ralph Young, “Side by Side.”
· 78 rpm records date back to 1898, establishing themselves as the very first flat record disc for auditory entertainment. Such things in 2018 are seen as aesthetic-geared collectables, decorations, and more. Often times the case is that 78 records as a main media has been replaced by apps such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and Google Play Music.
3. 45 record: Gamble, “(Who’s Your) Favorite Candidate” / “The Intruders.”
4. 45 record: Jay & The Techniques, “Change Your Mind” / “Are You Ready for This.
· 45’s in themselves are pretty easy to distinguish from many other antecedent medias. Distinct with their small size compared to its companion the standard 78 rpm Vinyl record at a small 7 inches – the 45s premiered in nineteen forty-nine, and were the first opportunity for people to take home their favorite singles. Much like the 78s, however, the 45s in 2018 remain a collectable replaced by Spotify, Pandora, etc.
5. Emerson Cassette am/fm radio player: Cassette player, silver and black with missing top chunk.
· Cassette tapes became the first truly portable music experience, leading this to revolutionize tech goals for future markets and reinvent new possibilities. These cassettes, however, remain obsolete in 2018 and remain mostly within aesthetic value thanks to smartphone apps such as Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, Apple Music, etc.
6. VHS Tape: “The Land Before Time.”
7. VHS Tape: “2Fast 2Furious.”
· The VHS tape was a revolutionary step in nineteen seventy-two, and more importantly remained the central visual technology of prominence up until 2000. As for 2018, many movies are streamed now through such things like the Amazon Fire stick, Netflix, Hulu, and more streaming services than ever.
8. Disc MP3 player: silver and partially clear.
9. CD: Various artists, “Sounds of the Eighties.”
10. CD: Supertones, “Supertones Strike Back.”
· Compact Disc players and their CD counterparts were premiered as the latest great entertainment revolution in nineteen eighty-two. In 2018, we continue to replace these obsolete mediums with Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Google Play, etc.
11. GE Alarm Clock: Cream colored, wide front face, large button on center of top.
· Produced in nineteen eighty-five, this GE alarm clock is one of many produced then to wake up every consumer in the early mornings. Most millennials in 2018 use the alarm apps built into their smart phones (myself included.)
12. DVD: “Old School.”
13. DVD: “Crash.”
· DVDs (digital video discs) premiered as new tech in 2000, rocking the VHS market considerably. Once again, a compact disc was adding portability to entertainment and revolutionizing the market. Much like VHS tapes, however, DVDs have mostly begun to meet their ultimate demise to smart phones and more importantly, streaming services directly to your smartphone.
14. Canon Palmtronic 8M calculator.
· Calculators, though still prominent in academic settings and office settings, have faded from everyday use in 2018 since being replaced by a built-in app in smart phones.
15. Kodak EasyShare C360 Digital Camera: Silver digital camera.
· Digital cameras are still incredibly relevant, however their location is changing to our pockets more and more every day. The EasyShare C360 was released in 2006 approximately, stunting 5 megapixels in camera quality. The iPhone X camera boasts 12 megapixels in its main camera, and 7 in it’s selfie camera.
16. Virtual Pets Electronic Pet toy: Pink.
17. Virtual Pets Electronic Pet toy: Blue.
18. Virtual Pets Electronic Pet toy: White.
· Following the popularity wave of Tamagotchi toys, Virtual Pets is a knock off brand produced in the following year of it’s competitor, 1997. Games such as these though still lingering, are sufficiently more likely to be replaced by flash game apps in your phone along the exact same lines. Often times to keep up with the demand, companies such as Tamagotchi will create mobile game versions to remain relevant in 2018.
19. IBV-AP-PB Voice LLC recorder and speaker device: attached to the lid of Box 16, small button outside of lid.
· The point of this button-activated speaker is to not only recognize the paralleled respect towards Robert Morris, but to reinforce that the common denominator prevalent amongst this group of objects is their obsolete nature thanks to smart phones. The sound of the iconic iPhone ringing over and over disrupts the visual aspect of the objects by distracting the viewer with the phantom noise and cause of their objects demise.
20. Soil, Moss:
· The soil and moss are key objects in the box, for the reinforce the afterlife bestowed upon obsolete objects often forgotten on the way to the landfill.
