The act of discarding is not limited to households or human consumption; all entities engage in it, by gathering and disposing of materials and substances to keep running. The emerging field of discard studies shows how wider systems of waste and wasting are inextricably linked to relational ways of living on and with the planet. From this perspective, not having to think about waste is revealed as a privilege—one that many people are unaware they have. However, this privilege comes at a high price; the quick and easy access to devices with built-in obsolescence, for example, means that exposure to toxicants and e-waste chemicals are potentiated with every new release season.

Bringing together scholarly and artistic research, the workshop series Reassembling Rubbish uses methods of embodied learning to complicate our understanding of obsolete electronic devices and plastics. Artist Leeroy New and researcher Josh Lepawsky join the participants in reconsidering waste—usually perceived as discarded or thrown ‘away’, waste doesn’t necessarily have to constitute the end point of an ecological cycle, but can rather signify the starting point of something yet to come.

Day 1 is for taking apart, making maps, and recycling together. Hosted by Josh Lepawsky, the concerns of discard studies become tangible through hands-on activities of virtually and physically dismantling discarded devices in the morning session. After considering one’s own involvement in the life cycles of electronic devices and mapping the ecosystem of their creation and associated waste management, during the afternoon the group visits a sorting facility for packaging waste situated in Berlin Mahlsdorf. Countering the notion of recycling being a black box, this guided tour  allows direct insights into recycling processes and the recovery of raw materials, which can be turned into something new.

Inspired by the experiences and concepts of the previous day, on Day 2 participants repurpose their own discarded materials into innovative designs with practical applications. Together with artist Leeroy New, they re-evaluate items and materials that have  been otherwise lying around in their homes, no longer serving any purpose. Starting from scratch, they develop prototypes for functional products, models for large-scale structures, or new textiles. By the end of the day, everyone taking part will ideally have gained new skills and methods for working with assorted waste products while showcasing sustainable solutions through creative experimentation and collaboration.

For Day 3, Lepawsky teams up with New to visit some of Berlin’s many repair cafes in the morning, where material manipulation and innovation is practised on a regular basis. The afternoon brings the group back to HKW, in order to wrap up the workshop and explore how reconsidering wider systems of waste and wasting can further struggles for environmental justice and underpin relational ways of living on and with the planet.

Participation on all three days of the workshop is highly recommended, but not always feasible. As spots are limited, please indicate which days of the workshop you would like to participate in upon registration.