A testament to global sameness and affluenza induced conduct, the Babel Waste Capital up-cycles what the city throws away. Styrofoam packaging is collected from the neighborhood and erected as a tower in a few short hours. This sculpture represents an extension of a city reconstituted from its own refuse materials. The star form represents a single 30 second flash of Styrofoam e-waste produced in New York City from packaging materials for new refrigerators, microwave ovens, speakers, vacuum cleaners, and other electrical appliances. Our city disposes of heavy volumes of consumer e-waste daily. This project rethinks and upcycles what the people throw away. Styrofoam packaging was collected from local neighborhoods and transformed into a didactic installation.

The aim is to confront the public with the trash our city produces in just moments. In the future, we shall make no dis􀆟 nc􀆟tion between waste and supply.

Here waste is up-cycled into usable systems for building or sculptural folly. Exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with DJ Spooky and Terreform ONE as: “Of Water and Ice - A Concert of Compositions Based on Water and Arctic Rhythms” in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. Also shown at New Museum, Ideas City street fair: An installation made from discarded styrofoam rises in front of Raumlabor’s Spacebuster, a mobile inflatable pavilion commissioned by the Storefront for Art and Architecture.

Credit: Mitchell Joachim, Melanie  Fessel, Maria Aiolova, Wagdy Moussa, Spencer Nelson, James Schwartz, Jacqueline Hall, Bart Mangold, and Paul Miller AKA DJ Spooky.