Artist Statement

Mixed Media (2014)

Imagine a future where the American dollar is worthless. To re-build the economy, citizens must use the only resource available: decades of post-consumer waste. With no way to afford expensive international electronics, but with a deep human desire to connect, they sift through obsolete products searching for working parts. The goal is to build a new communications infrastructure that is community-controlled and far from the prying eyes of any government. Amelia Marzec’s New American Sweatshop manifests itself as an installation that models a functioning manufacturing plant. It relies on volunteer labor to
hand-build semi-functioning prototypes of what our technology could look like in the future. All supplies, furniture and uniforms are created from local salvaged goods.

• Amelia Marzec is a Brooklyn-based artist (NY, USA) focused on enabling activist communities through innovative uses of technology. Her work has been exhibited at Flux Factory, NY Hall of Science, Governor’s Island, MIT, SIGGRAPH, DUMBO Arts Festival, and Rhizome ArtBase. She was a resident at Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, a fellow at A.I.R. Gallery, and a nominee for the World Technology Awards. Her work has been featured in Wired, Make, Hyperallergic, Neural Magazine, Metropolis Magazine, and the front page of Reddit. She holds an MFA from Parsons School of Design, and a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Text with images (PDF) p. 50-51