Maja Dika
Maja Dika — dealing with :( — Mourning Rituals for Mobile Phones
Techno Legacy — Summer 2014
The project explores the relationship and contradictions we have with old devices and their afterlife.
As innovation increases, the lifespan of mobile phones gets shorter every year. At this pace, the new becomes old and is forgotten very quickly. This phenomenon is clearly evident in our relationship with mobile phones. Although we develop a personal connection with these devices, we forget about them easily once we get a new one.
However, one interesting fact in that context is that most people keep their old unused mobile phones at home. Some of the reasons for it are that many of our memories are stored in them, as well as a lack of information on recycling procedures and the safety of the remaining data.
With the project, we aim to raise awareness in the way we discard electronics and at the same time, help people get rid of their phones in an ecological and data-safe way. By adding a ritualistic and performative aspect to that particular moment, we transform it into a cultural and psychological process.
According to the diverse scenarios - when the phone is stolen, broken or replaced for a new one - we propose three different rituals, which are based on grieving practices from different cultures.
In collaboration with Nicenboim Iohanna.
