David Horvitz interviews Marisa Olson for a show I curated at CCS Bard.
This is just one piece…
DH: […] Do you believe it is possible to be responsible while still invested in upgrade culture?
MO: I think that’s the question I’m trying to answer for myself. I don’t know. My thought right now is that the upgrade cycle is one we all get locked into. No one’s making me buy a new ipod, but then again, the US government’s legally forcing producers and consumers of TV to upgrade, and they are competing with other countries to do so in a way that I think very interestingly mirrors the space race. I mean, the even bigger question is why we always feel so compelled to invent, buy, reinvent, and toss old models out. Why are so many of our fantasies and fears about the future invested in technology? If I can’t save the world from ewaste and solve the problem of upgrade garbage, I at least hope to initiate these conversations in my work.