DISCO VÉRITÉ:

USING OBSOLESCENCE AS MATERIAL INTERFACE

Words by Joe Cantrell

Creating a "new" instrument implies the existence of the "old," tying theconcepts of innovation and obsolescence together.

In a world grappling with environmental crises, equating the non-new with the disposable contributes to wasteful practices driven by a design culture that prioritizes novelty over sustainability. The following explores expanding the definition of newness to include disused technologies and materials- challenging the assumptions of innovation that perpetuate technological waste. Instead of updating obsolete objects into digital frameworks, it seeks to reanimate them on their physical terms, amplifying their latent voices in unique and unexpected ways.



The concept of obsolescence emerged alongside industrialization in the late 19th century, as mass production introduced disposable consumer goods. Before this, conservation was prized, and discarding usable items was considered wasteful. The shift began with products like paper collars and cuffs, offering a convenient alternative to laundering, which sold in massive quantities and normalized disposability. By the 20th century, obsolescence became integral to consumer culture, influencing not only production but also economic theory.

Economist Joseph Schumpeter’s idea of “creative destruction” encapsulated this shift, suggesting that continuous cycles of new goods replacing old ones were vital for economic growth. However, this philosophy paved the way for planned obsolescence, where products were deliberately designed with limited lifespans.

Planned obsolescence gained notoriety after Vance Packard’s The Waste Makers (1960), which criticized its environmental and social implications. While industries responded by rebranding it as "dynamic" or "progressive" obsolescence, the practice persisted, embedding itself into markets from fashion to technology. Psychological obsolescence also became a tool, persuading consumers to discard functional items for newer, more fashionable alternatives. This trend is evident in mobile technology, where upgrades often prioritize social status over functionality, contributing significantly to e-waste.

As of 2018, only 38.5% of e-waste was recycled[1] , with millions discarded annually despite being operational. Designers must critically evaluate their role in perpetuating this cycle. By adopting alternative perspectives on obsolescence, such as those proposed by engineering professor Debbie Chachra, who emphasizes the value of maintenance over creation, designers can promote a more sustainable approach to innovation.



In the context of obsolescence, vital materialism invites us to reconsider discarded technologies not as waste but as extensions of human effort and creativity. By acknowledging the humanity embedded within objects, we can shift from a culture of disposability to one of care and respect for material history.


In the context of obsolescence, vital materialism invites us to reconsider discarded technologies not as waste but as extensions of human effort and creativity.

Resonating with Bennett’s materialism, composer Andrew Durkin’s concept of the "audible trace" aligns with vital materialism by highlighting the human imprint within audio technology. Durkin argues that sound technologies bear the physical and historical marks of their creators and users, evident in the imperfections of media like cassette tapes, vinyl records, and mp3s. These traces are often dismissed as flaws by an industry striving for sonic "purity," but they reveal the collaborative interactions between humans, machines, and materials over time.

This perspective challenges conventional audio design, suggesting that rather than eliminating these traces, we should amplify them to honor the labor and history they represent.



Along these lines, media scholar Jentery Sayers' notion of “design without a future” provides a framework for directly engaging with obsolete technologies. This approach focuses on revisiting historical objects and processes to uncover their latent potential and connections to human experience. For instance, Sayers’ recreation of Valdemar Poulsen’s 1898 magnetic recording experiments demonstrated how historical technologies could be repurposed to evoke reflection and understanding, rather than simply serving functional purposes.



Integrating these ideas into a unified methodology can produce a more self-aware design process that emphasizes:

     1. Viewing objects as living extensions of human history.
     2. Recognizing sound technologies as carriers of human traces.
     3. Designing with a focus on historical materiality rather than novelty.

Disco Vérité applies self-reflexive
design principles to DJ performance, 
reimagining turntables and media as instruments of material and historical exploration.

This approach counters the cycle of obsolescence, encouraging designers to embrace the past as a source of innovation and sustainability.



Disco Vérité applies self-reflexive design principles to DJ performance, reimagining turntables and media as instruments of material and historical exploration. Using old cassettes, LPs, and 8-track cartridges, the project transforms these objects into new sound sources, emphasizing their physical and historical characteristics over their intended functions. 

The process involves dismantling and repurposing media to explore their material properties. For example, the textured surfaces of cassette tapes produced rhythmic clicks, while fragments of speaker cones create bursts of noise. These sounds, amplified through turntables, revealed the latent "aural traces" of the objects, showcasing their histories in sonic form.

Transparent plastic discs serve as blank canvases for affixing materials, functioning as non-traditional records that generate sound based on the physical interaction between the disc and the turntable needle. Objects are arranged on the discs using precise alignment techniques, creating customizable sound patterns akin to a circular step sequencer. Standard DJ turntables ensure consistent playback speeds, enabling seamless synchronization of patterns. Adjustments to the stylus weight and anti-skate settings allow for controlled variability in sound production, introducing an element of randomness to the performance.

The resulting soundscapes blend seamlessly with electronic minimal techno but are distinguished by their unique origins. By reanimating obsolete media, Disco Vérité bridges past and present, offering a new perspective on materiality and sound design that honors the histories embedded within technological objects.

Disco Vérité demonstrates the potential of self-reflexive design to challenge traditional notions of innovation and obsolescence. By embracing the imperfections and histories of discarded media, it transforms waste into a site of creativity and reflection. This approach offers a path toward more sustainable design practices, encouraging us to reconsider our relationship with the objects and materials that shape our world.

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Acid Free

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Akosa · Catherine Falls · Jenny Galipo · Lisa Kahn
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Jen Neville

Design
Zaira Torres

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