A Contemporary Myth of Gold, Greed, and E-Waste

Designer Valdís Steinarsdóttir explores electronic waste through the lens of myth, using gold — one of the world’s most culturally and materially valued elements, now listed as an endangered element — to question how we define and assign value. Despite vast quantities of precious materials embedded in discarded electronics, formal recycling systems recover only a limited amount. 

Drawing on Icelandic mythological traditions, the multimedia installation reimagines the age-old tale of a covetous dragon to reflect on how a society that worships technological progress constructs value while obscuring its material consequences. A ring cast from gold reclaimed from e-waste, designed by Steinarsdóttir and made by a jeweller, is to be treasured rather than discarded and stamped with a custom hallmark marking its origins; revaluing e-waste as vital, not inferior. The project invites us to see the present as a myth unfolding in real time, and rethink what we treasure and why.