Sleeping children

Sleeping children is shocking for me. This installation is described by the artist as the most vulnerable state that children could be in. The three children are represented by three TVs in this art piece. The e-waste does not only surround the children but it’s a part of them and they are the Artist’s kids which gives the installation a huge  emotional aspect . It may seem complicated at first because you couldn’t see the whole image at once and this pushes you to devise it into different artworks “The interesting thing about this piece is you can not view any of it in the perfect location relaying on the camera angle”. Also every angle refers to another part of the whole installation. It is made of a huge amount of materials , TVs, CDs , cables and a projection of a video. The title of the artwork is explicit , it describes the main idea of the installation but when we dive more into the different parts you discover that it is more than simple children who are sleeping.

This artwork has been exhibited in Bristol Art Museum in 2011 and could be seen on the Youtube channel of the artist, he made a video as an explanation of the piece, and also on his official website.

In micro level the artist wants to express the relation between e-waste and normal waste, each one is a part of the other.Knowing the things that surround us. It refers to our existence on a micro level where we come across this e-waste and how it affects our life especially when it comes to children because If this artwork could speak it would be the voice of a parent who is screaming because they couldn’t control the environment for the next generations. Today the generation z is affected more than the millennials. Viewing this artwork will make the viewer uncomfortable when he projects these images into his own  life.

The mix of different objects and colours make the whole aesthetic , it is colorful and is made of a huge number of items. The shape of parts make us ask questions about their functionality especially when the “sleeping children” is very large and could occupy half a room.

All the artworks of Tom deininger are made of waste and some of them are centred on e-waste, this artist decided to give a new meaning to impressionism.

What I found remarquable in this artist is the way that he is turning trash into pieces of art , and how every artwork is transmitting subliminal messages through optical illusion. But it’s only a huge amount of e-waste when you look closer, this rubbish is our culture today we create culture through consumption. 

I do have a preference for this artwork because I am considered as part of the Millennial generation , a generation that has been affected by electronics, a generation that depends solely on electronics to survive ,we are the most important e-wasters and we are transmitting this idea to the next generations. 

So this makes me worried about our values and principles and even mission in this life.

CURATOR Syrine Bettaleb Ali