Digital Debris

Medium: Mixed media collage incorporating work documents, official papers, and found materials

Original Dimensions: Variable sizes available for canvas printing

Year: 2025

Digital Debris presents a visceral examination of contemporary contradictions through the lens of discarded bureaucratic materials. This powerful mixed media collage transforms mundane work documents into a striking commentary on the fractured nature of modern existence, where mental health initiatives exist alongside war profiteering, and corporate wellness programs coexist with human suffering.

The artist, working as a stenographer who documents countless conversations across diverse sectors, has assembled these fragments of institutional discourse into a chaotic yet purposeful composition. Each torn paper, official stamp, and bureaucratic form becomes evidence of the schizophrenic nature of our times—where artificial intelligence advances while human needs are systematically ignored, where profit margins take precedence over human dignity.

The collage technique itself mirrors the fragmented experience of contemporary life, where disparate realities collide without resolution. Mental health pamphlets overlap with military contracts, environmental reports intersect with corporate earnings statements, creating a visual cacophony that reflects the cognitive dissonance of living in an era where contradictory values are simultaneously promoted and practiced.

Through this work, the artist exposes the hypocritical foundations of institutional power, revealing how the very documents that claim to serve humanity often serve to obscure the mechanisms of its exploitation.

Digital Debris stands as both archaeological evidence of our current moment and a prophetic warning about the dehumanizing trajectory of technological progress divorced from ethical consideration. The title itself suggests both the digital age's promise of efficiency and its reality of fragmentation—where human experience becomes mere data points scattered across bureaucratic systems, leaving behind only the debris of authentic human connection and meaningful purpose.

This work is part of an ongoing series exploring the intersection of documentation, power, and human experience in the digital age. The artist's unique position as a professional stenographer provides unprecedented access to the language and materials of institutional power, which are then transformed through artistic practice into tools of revelation and resistance.