At the age of 64, Vishwanath Mallabadi from Bengaluru, Davangere district, is dedicated to transforming discarded electronics into works of art. He has managed to recycle two tons of electronic waste, creating intricate sculptures from old computer parts.
For Vishwanath, broken gadgets and components are not the end point of their life cycle. He sees potential in their textures, colors, and shapes, using them to create something entirely new.
Art has been a part of his life since childhood. Although his father, D M Shambhu, wished for him to become a doctor, Vishwanath followed his calling and earned a bachelor's degree in applied arts. Even while working as a senior manager at Wipro, he experimented with e-waste.
He recalls that in his free time and on weekends, he conducted experiments with electronic waste, trying to develop something unique. His early experiments included creating small animals from parts of discarded gadgets, which was initially just a fun pastime.
As he learned about the environmental consequences of electronic waste, he began creating murals and sculptures. After leaving Wipro, he turned his hobby into a business, giving a second life to discarded electronics.
Today, Vishwanath has created over a thousand pieces of art using electronic waste. Among his works are sculptures, wall compositions, jewelry, birds, flowers, and even robots, all assembled from materials that others might have thrown away.
Among his creations is a six-foot sculpture made from the keys of an old computer keyboard, as well as a landscape inspired by Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' which was created using electronic resistors on wood.
Creating art from e-waste requires careful study of each component before determining what it can be transformed into. He explains that making a piece of jewelry takes only two or three minutes, whereas a sculpture might require weeks or months of work.
Vishwanath's works have found buyers in Europe, the Netherlands, the United States, and Delhi. By turning 2 tons of electronic waste into over a thousand pieces, he continues to demonstrate how discarded materials can find a new purpose.