Mineral Wasteland focuses on negative impacts of technological
development on the natural environment, and also depicts a posthuman
age wasteland in which digital entities will still exist on the
earth but integrate with nature. It will carry the memory of
consumerism, modernism and capitalism in the present
Anthropocene. Consumerism and planned obsolescence are
prevalent in our high-speed society.
At the end of 2020, humanmade
stuff outweighed all life on earth. Advances in technology are
actually the consumption of natural resources, however, recycling
activities are unable to keep pace with the growth of e-waste. From
raw mineral mining, manufacturing, shipping and then to recycling,
all processes generate toxic chemicals. They oxidise, corrode and
cause acid rain. The cycle repeats itself and generates new chemical
compounds, such as sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides, and acid
rain again. Finally, they will evaporate, forming the crystals and
mineral wasteland.
Danni Zheng is a new media artist with a spatial design background, currently based in London. Her work recently explored the relationship between physical and virtual space through investigating the status quo and speculating the future in a digital way, such as through 3D animation, immersive experiences, live performances and creative coding. She has also collaborated with sound artists, engineers, composers, and illustrators during her artistic creation. Her works have been presented at Dyson Gallery (London), Fabrica Gallery (Brighton, UK), HART (Hong Kong) and Samsung KX (London).
