An excerpt from a collection of psychoanalytical records, hinting at a community grappling with the unseen burdens of 'progress'.
What if the easier it gets to dispose of waste, the harder it becomes to confront our own wastefulness?
The Burden of Better: A speculative design project dissecting the psychological impact of hyper-efficient waste management in a society grappling with unsustainable consumption.
Baumgartner_6024, Germany
Baumgartner_6024, Germany
Description
Waste isn't just about bins and landfills; it's about the choices we make and the consequences we ignore. "The Burden of Better" unveils a collection of psycho-analytic reports, stemming from a waste-aware community. These reports, filled with hand-written entries and digital annotations, are a window to understand the psychological toll of living within optimized systemic wastefulness. The project challenges the idea that technological advancements alone can solve our waste problems, revealing the human cost of efficient, yet ultimately unsustainable, systems. This prompts viewers to confront their hidden bias towards consumption with a better understanding.
Context
The world is one where optimized waste systems coexist with countryside . Hyper-efficient AI-driven waste management handles ever-increasing volumes of trash, creating pristine and orderly environments, even in remote areas. Inhabitants, steeped in tradition yet embracing technological progress, grapple with a subtle unease – a sense of futility masked by convenience. This is coupled with the economic and population growth. The culture subtly promotes a collective denial of individual responsibility, while heritage quietly champions a desire for a simpler approach to material possessions, fostering a low-hum of cognitive dissonance that permeates everyday life.
Provocation
This project matters because it reveals the hidden psychological costs of our "out of sight, out of mind" approach to waste. We are on a trajectory where technology masks the underlying issue: overconsumption. Concern yourself with how marketing and news highlights that your waste is being handled. What are we not seeing?
Baumgartner_6024's process
Inspired by rural German life and human psychology, Baumgartner's work is influenced by traditions of resourcefulness and philosophical self-reflection. For "The Burden of Better," Baumgartner immersed themselves in psychological impacts of clients from waste management facilities, consumption data, and counterfactual histories. They meticulously analyzed the emotional responses to efficient, yet unsustainable, waste systems. Analyzing material science databases, cultural factors, and behavioral economics. Synthesizing these insights with elements of rural tradition to give the installation a provocative and insightful commentary on the hidden costs of ignoring unsustainable cycle.
More about Baumgartner_6024
Events leading to ‘The Burden of Better’
2024: AI-powered waste sorting pilot programs demonstrate efficiency gains, leading to increased investment.
2025: Major waste management companies adopt AI-optimized collection routes, advertising "seamless waste removal".
2026: Reports surface of emotional distress in communities despite reduced necessity of sorting due to AI.
Imagined Future Scenarios Considered
Baumgartner_6024 considered the following imagined future scenarios while working on this project
Waste sorting facilities will use AI-powered robotic arms to identify and separate valuable materials with greater speed and accuracy.
Extrapolated from Embracing AI And Emerging Technologies Can Help Transform The Mining Industry - Forbes
Smart bins will notify waste collectors when they are full, reducing unnecessary trips and fuel consumption.
Extrapolated from The 15 fastest-growing jobs in the US, according to LinkedIn - Business Insider
Hypothetical Product Ideas Considered
Baumgartner_6024 considered the following hypothetical product ideas while working on this project
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