For Vishwanath Mallabadi from Bengaluru, the concept of 'waste' does not exist. He creates works of art using discarded metal, old gadgets, and non-functional printed circuit boards.
A former executive at Wipro, who became an eco-artist after retirement, purchases electronic waste from scrap dealers and recyclers, transforming it into jewelry, murals, and sculptures. He has processed and transformed nearly 200 kg of e-waste into useful items and promotes the concept of eco-art as a way to solve waste management problems.
He told The Better India that he initially started this as a hobby, collecting e-waste, but after learning about the impact of electronic waste on the environment, he began creating murals and sculptures, which eventually turned into a business.
Currently, Vishwanath sells his unique pieces and reported having buyers from Europe, the Netherlands, the USA, as well as Delhi. To date, the eco-artist has created over 500 artifacts, including a six-foot sculpture made from recycled computer keyboard keys on a mannequin.
However, Vishwanath notes that the upcycling process is not simple; it requires careful study of the e-waste objects, as well as visualization and conceptualization of the final product. He explains that creating a piece of jewelry takes only two or three minutes, whereas a sculpture can require weeks or months.
He spoke at the first UN International Conference on Data Science for Sustainable Development, focusing on the efficient use of electronic waste.