This was a talk given by Sean Cubitt, as part of the Openhere festival in Dublin, November 2014.

“The media we use everyday have been described as immaterial, cognitive, friction-free and weightless but they are not so. Manufacturing, using and recycling digital media involve immense quantities of materials and energy. This talk looks at the environmental consequences of ubiquitous media and the rapidly changing technologies. The network of stories about metals, plastics, oil, nuclear and toxic waste is a depressing tale to tell but points towards a new kind of aesthetic politics which might yet save both humans and environments.”

Openhere: 2014: Sean Cubitt: Ecoaesthetics Media after the Environmental Impact of Digital Technology from D.A.T.A. Openhere on Vimeo.