Waste Streams

Waste Streams – Tracing Romania’s Tangled Trash is an installation part of the exhibition Turn Signals – Design is not a Dashboard on view at FABER, Timișoara, from September to November 2023.

For years, the Romanian press has decried the nation’s portrayal as ‘the dump of Europe’. All types of waste, both legal and illegal, find their way into Romania via boats and trucks, often facilitated by corruption, economic interests, and political connections. However, the fate of this waste within the country remains largely undisclosed. Waste Streams – Tracing Romania’s Tangled Trash investigated the waste management system by analysing statistics, policies, and legislation within Romania and across Europe. Illustrated in the form of a waste sorting facility, one conveyor belt is a visual representation of Europe’s waste production, export strategies, and associated directives, shedding light on continental waste dynamics. Another conveyor belt focuses on Romania’s waste infrastructure, and its health and environmental impacts. Drawing on data, news reports, and local knowledge, the project converges diverse entry points into a single stream of information. When viewed as a continuous flow of data involving imports, exports, and materials, the waste system is acknowledged as a trade mechanism, wherein waste functions as a commodity.

Authors: Cinzia Bongino (designer), Versavia Ancușa (computer science lecturer).
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