Restart Radio: Documentary photography of abandoned e-stuff

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We interviewed photographer Greg Jones about his charming photography project called “Still Works” to document the abandoned electronics and electricals in his south London neighbourhood.

Over the course of a couple of years, Greg showed how his neighbours appeared to have carefully placed VCRs, microwaves, monitors, white goods outside their homes. He wonders whether most people wanted others to take them away for reuse. And he photographed notes left by some neighbours indicating just this.

Greg believes that people still believe in the “real value” of e-stuff, in spite of the fact that we are pushed to perceive everything in terms of “relative value”.

He shot this collection using an analog SLR dating from 1978.

Then we discussed a couple of very popular articles in the Guardian about long-lasting appliances and consumption, and Janet’s visit to New York where she met with the Fixers Collective.

• Greg Jones’ Still Works
• Guardian What do you mean we need a new cooker? We only got it in 1963
• Guardian My fridge is 60 years old – appliances that just go on and on
• Guardian UK consumes far less than a decade ago – ‘peak stuff’ or something else?
• The Verge Meet the Fixers Collective: the geeks who are fixing iPhones for free

[Feature image by Greg Jones]