The social life of (our) supply chains

This past year has made it clear how integral supply chains are to modern life. But despite growing awareness of their importance, they remain abstract and invisible to most of us. Supply-chains.us is a living archive of the geographies, processes, and people behind supply chains, particularly those required for consumer technology. Collected as visual narratives, these stories trace the “social lives” of these materials: from the mines where they are extracted, to the factories that smelt, manufacture and assemble them into products, to the global shipping routes used in between, ending with the consumer – and ultimately at landfills, recycling centres, and e-waste sites around the world. At the discussion session, users can participate in a facilitated reflection about supply chains, chat with the exhibit’s creators, and learn how to contribute to this living archive. This Art and Media piece is hosted on a third-party website: www.supply-chains.us