Why is this project being undertaken? It is extremely important for us in the ‘developed world’ to reconsider the waste we create and dispose of – why we need to keep upgrading and replacing technology, and where does it go once we have disposed of it. Often these products still function, we just feel the need for a new shiny version. Through reusing and recontextualising objects that are considered useless and worthless I show that they can serve another purpose and can regain new value as part of a creative work that people can interact with. What is the core concept of the project? To discover and reveal renewed value and interest in electronic waste and obsolete products. To consider what other options we have when we come to dispose of technological goods, and how the way we experience them changes when they are used in ways they were not designed for. How will the project be implemented? Unwanted electrical and electronic household products will be donated to the project by the local community, who will also be shown ways in which they can have a second life as part of an artwork that can be visited by the public and interacted with. The work will be installed during the second month of the residency so anyone who is interested can see how it progresses and even become involved in its development.

Tele-Interference Counterpoints (in Chiba) is a project that collects and repairs fluorescent lamps in Chiba City destined for disposal, combines them with radios and speakers, and then “revives” them in the form of a light and sound installation. The project comprises two main phases: collecting fluorescent lamps from around the city and then exhibiting blinking lights using the collected lamps. The backdrop to the project is the so-called Fluorescent Lamp Problem of 2027, prohibiting the manufacture, import, and export of conventional fluorescent lamps from that year. The market is currently in a state of transition, with increasing numbers of people replacing their fluorescent lighting and disposing of the old lamps at the same time. Yuga Soma-Uéno has collected discarded fluorescent lamps from various places and used them in his previous work. The collection phase of this project not only collects the lamps but also incorporates within the process of replacement and disposal an element of communication through dialogue about fluorescent lighting that involves the local community. The goal of the phase is to share and record impressions and experiences of soon-to-disappear fluorescent lamps, while re-examining the actual conditions of fluorescent lighting in terms of how they work through lectures and workshops. In the exhibition phase of the project, the collected fluorescent lamps are adjusted so that they flicker, and then combined with radios, speakers, and other devices to build an exhibit. The electromagnetic waves emitted by the flickering fluorescent lamps interfere with radio waves, producing various noises. The light and sound accumulate and overflow, continually creating new countenances. By placing electromagnetic waves in opposition with the functions of tools as well as the audio and noise of radio, and colliding these elements together, the installation demonstrates the phenomena evinced by the inherent nature of things and their “thingness” as counterpoints through a new approach. The exhibition lights up and opens to the public from early evening to night. Alongside the exhibition, the context and process of sharing the memories and experiences related to the materials recorded during the collection phase and at events and workshops are made public and presented in the form of videos, panels, and more. The flickering light and sounds evoke a sense of nostalgia and pathos, though for some generations may also seem like a novel medium. Soma-Uéno aspires to present the impressions and thoughts of various people, and the ever-changing time and space as they combine, in a multilayered way across the two phases. Through the fluorescent lamps once so familiar to us, but which are now disappearing, the project explores the role of art in connecting different objects, objects and people, people and the community, consumption and circulation, and memory and the future. [Types of citizen involvement] Providing materials (fluorescent lamps), Event and workshop participation, Exhibition viewing