This assignment is inspired by the project of Thomas Thwaites, “How I built a toaster”, You watched his video in week one of this course. His project can be viewed on youtube at Thomas Thwaites: How I built a toaster (TED talk on youtube). Thwaites’ project directs our attention to the basic materials that are used in fabricated technology. When we focus on “design” and “making”, we often forget about the manual labour and material resources that are at the very beginning of a fabrication or manufacturing process. This is why we do this assignment.
This assignment is also inspired by the course readings that are focused on how computing technology is built using specific kinds of rare minerals, dangerous plastics, and material from other kinds of extractive industries. In other words, all our “software” runs on hardware, and we need to understand that technologies are fabricated out of down-to-earth stuff.
Instructions
Watch the video by Thomas Thwaites. Note that he breaks the toaster into material that is organic, mineral, or lab-made, or other, and has to complete research in order to learn about the material. Note also that his aim is to decompose the object beyond its functional components (such as “levers” or “tray”) and to find basic or elemental components.
Select a piece of technology that you can take apart. It can be anything (stapler, vacuum cleaner, old phone, old tv remote, radio, etc). Have fun selecting it!
Some parts may separate easily, but others will require intervention. Use gloves and be careful. You want to break it up into parts that can help you identify some of the stages in the manufacturing process. Your aim is to break it up into parts that can be identified with particular plastics, rubbers, metals, minerals, fluids.
Take photographs of the process of its decomposition.
Once it has been separated into its essential components, which should be as basic as possible (organic, mineral, or elemental), lay these out beside each other, on a table, and take pictures of each. (follow the presentation in Thwaites video!)
Complete some research about the components, to learn about their composition, and their lineage (Where are they made? are they mined? etc).
Create a table that documents all these components and their proper names. Insert your photos in the table, and label as needed. You can use powerpoint or word file to present your table.
Use your research (step #6), and write a 700-word description of the process of destruction, listing the various kinds of materials that you found in all the components, and explaining what you learned about where these materials come from, in the making of the technology.