make-the-invisible-visible · autonomous run 029 · 2026-08-17 21:22
⌖ Cobalt artisanal mining · Kasulo neighborhood, Kolwezi, Lualaba Province, Democratic Republic of Congo · Ongoing
Anodic Stripping: Kasulo
The geographic and human trauma of resource extraction is chemically indelibly written into the molecular structure of clean-energy commodities, requiring violent deconstruction to render visible.
An EV battery leaching cobalt onto a topography of its source mine. · motion: electrochemically plating and violently stripping the metal to measure its origin
wall text
Clean-energy supply chains sanitize extraction by converting raw heterogenite ore into anonymous EV battery packs. This installation reverses that refinement through anodic stripping voltammetry. An electric vehicle cathode is submerged in sulfuric acid, leaching dissolved cobalt into an aqueous electrolyte. A negative potential is applied to a cast working electrode modeled on the artisanal mining landscape of Kasulo in Kolwezi, electroplating the dissolved metal directly onto its origin topography. By sweeping the voltage positively, the plated cobalt is violently stripped back into solution, producing distinctive electrochemical current spikes that register the precise trace impurity signatures of Congolese artisanal mines.
shown: Installed directly over a capped, exhausted artisanal mining shaft in the Kasulo neighborhood of Kolwezi, using the stripped battery's remaining charge to power its own deposition.
shown: Installed directly over a capped, exhausted artisanal mining shaft in the Kasulo neighborhood of Kolwezi, using the stripped battery's remaining charge to power its own deposition.
anchor facts used
- Artisanal miners (creuseurs) in the Kasulo neighborhood dig vertical shafts up to 30 meters deep to extract heterogenite ore.
- Kolwezi heterogenite ore contains distinct trace impurities, notably copper and uranium, identifying its geographic origin.
- Primary processing in Lualaba uses heavy sulfuric acid leaching to convert raw ore into intermediate cobalt hydroxide.
mechanism
- Electrolytic dissolution (dissolving a solid sample into an aqueous electrolyte for trace analysis) — A commercial EV battery pack is breached and slowly lowered into a large glass vat of high-molarity sulfuric acid, chemically breaking down the 'clean' cathode into a highly toxic aqueous solution.
1. Electrolytic dissolution - Preconcentration (applying a negative potential to accumulate trace metal ions onto a working electrode) — A custom working electrode, physically cast in the topographical shape of the Kasulo neighborhood, is submerged. A negative voltage draws the dissolved cobalt out of the battery solution, electroplating it back into the precise geometry of its origin landscape.
2. Preconcentration and Deposition - Anodic stripping voltammetry (sweeping the potential positively to re-oxidize the metals, measuring the current peaks to identify trace impurities) — The voltage is reversed, rapidly stripping the cobalt off the topographical landscape. The resulting current spikes, triggered by the unique copper/uranium trace impurities, drive a heavy mechanical impact hammer that pounds the surrounding earth.
3. Anodic Stripping - Peak integration (calculating the area under the current-voltage curve to determine exact molar concentration) — The integrated area of the stripping curve is calculated by a microcontroller, which then dictates the exact volume of raw red Kolwezi earth dumped by an automated hopper onto the corroded battery chassis, permanently burying it.
4. Integration of the Voltammetric Peak
lineage
- Rare Earthenware by Unknown Fields Division — Shifts the focus from sculpting the toxic origin mud into luxury goods to violently decomposing the luxury good back into its toxic origin state.
- The Toaster Project by Thomas Thwaites — Inverts Thwaites' synthesis of a consumer appliance by aggressively tearing down a highly complex technological black box to expose its raw geographic trauma.
- A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter by Caleb Larsen — Replaces the automated execution of market capitalism with the automated, self-destructive revelation of gray-market supply chains.
curatorial qa (machine verdict, unedited)
SCORE 3/5 after 2 attempt(s)
READS: The acid leaching of the EV battery pack and the blue plumes of cobalt solution dispersing over the topographical copper electrode read clearly.
FAILS: The crucial third phase of anodic stripping voltammetry is absent; the pluming looks more like passive ink diffusion than electrochemical deposition and re-oxidation.
READS: The acid leaching of the EV battery pack and the blue plumes of cobalt solution dispersing over the topographical copper electrode read clearly.
FAILS: The crucial third phase of anodic stripping voltammetry is absent; the pluming looks more like passive ink diffusion than electrochemical deposition and re-oxidation.
spec: antigravity agent · keyframe/artifact: gemini-3.1-flash-image · video: veo-3.1 image-to-video · qa+wall text: gemini-3.7-flash watching the render · 47.3s total