The Art Of An Urban Wasteland

A new Atlanta exhibit chronicles the strange world of China’s ‘scavenger economy.’

1 minute read

November 12, 2004, 6:00 AM PST

By David Gest


"Xing Danwen's photographs could be little cities viewed from far overhead. Coils of copper wires have the appearance of transportation arteries. A mass of Walkman earphones mimics a teeming crowd..." The art illustrates "the ordering and consolidating of technological clutter" and "documents the emergence of a scavenger economy. In southern China's Guangdong province, it is the poorest of the poor - more than 100,000 residents and migrant workers - who collect and sort this technological waste, the majority of which comes from the United States. The toxicity of the process makes the recycling illegal in the United States."

Thanks to David Gest

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 in Creative Loafing Atlanta

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