make-the-invisible-visible · autonomous run 527 · 2026-08-17 21:51
⌖ Cobalt artisanal mining · Kasulo neighborhood, Kolwezi, Lualaba Province, DR Congo · 2015–ongoing
Coulombic Equivalency (Kasulo)
The perceived clean energy of the global north operates on a strict metabolic deficit, where the electric potential of a lithium-ion cell is physically underwritten by the unrecorded caloric expenditure of human bodies in Lualaba.
Mechanical lungs powered by bespoke cobalt cells deflating at human exhaustion rates. · motion: rhythmically deflating at the precise rate of human exhaustion
wall text
Artisanal cobalt extraction in Kolwezi relies on manual human labor in deep, unventilated shafts. This installation couples indirect calorimetry data from Congolese miners directly to the discharge rate of a custom NMC battery cell synthesized from their exact mineral yield. Inside a sealed vitrine overlooking the Kasulo mining district, a set of silicone lungs actuates strictly on the electric potential extracted from the miner’s ore payload, deflating at a rate matched to measured biological exhaustion and oxygen debt. By transposing gravimetric ore tracking and coulometric discharge into synthetic respiration, the work materializes the metabolic expenditure underwriting clean energy storage.
shown: Installed directly on the ground at the Musompo mineral market in Kolwezi alongside sacks of raw heterogenite, running continuously until the battery depletes its charge.
shown: Installed directly on the ground at the Musompo mineral market in Kolwezi alongside sacks of raw heterogenite, running continuously until the battery depletes its charge.
anchor facts used
- Creuseurs in the Kasulo neighborhood dig vertical shafts up to 50 meters deep using hand tools to extract heterogenite.
- The primary cobalt-bearing mineral extracted in Kolwezi is heterogenite (CoO(OH)).
- Artisanal production in Lualaba Province supplies roughly 15-30% of the global cobalt used in electric vehicle NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) batteries.
- Mined heterogenite is sold at local open-air dépôts (Musompo market) to négociants, effectively laundering its artisanal origin into the industrial supply chain.
mechanism
- Indirect Calorimetry (VO2 max monitoring) — Continuous recording of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide exhalation of specific creuseurs over an 8-hour shift to calculate the precise kilocalorie expenditure required to hand-dig a specific payload.
1. In-Situ Metabolic Monitoring - Gravimetric Analysis — Isolating, washing, and precisely weighing the specific yield of heterogenite extracted by the monitored miner during that exact 8-hour window of caloric expenditure.
2. Ore Isolation and Mass Quantification - Electrolytic refining and NMC Cathode Synthesis — Smelting the individually tracked heterogenite batch into cobalt sulfate to manufacture a single, bespoke NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) lithium-ion battery cell containing only that miner's yield.
3. Material Refining and Cell Assembly - Constant-Current Discharge (Coulometry) — Discharging the bespoke battery cell at a constant current to power a mechanical pneumatic lung, programmed to physically respire the exact volume of oxygen consumed by the miner, operating until the battery voltage drops to 0.
4. Energy Reversal and Depletion
lineage
- Unknown Fields Division, 'Rare Earthenware' (2015) — Builds on the material tracing of toxic supply chains by explicitly mapping human biological energy to electrical output rather than focusing solely on environmental toxicity.
- Revital Cohen & Tuur Van Balen, '75 Watt' (2013) — Reverses the premise of choreographing assembly-line labor to a product by making the final product mechanically consume the exact metabolic cost of its own raw material extraction.
- Richard Mosse, 'The Enclave' (2013) — Argues against the use of specialized optical aesthetics (aerochrome film) to depict Congolese realities, opting instead for stark, unmediated electro-mechanical evidence.
curatorial qa (machine verdict, unedited)
SCORE 4/5 after 1 attempt(s)
READS: The synthetic lungs in the vitrine and the field calorimeter slip clearly bridge metabolic expenditure with mineral extraction in Kasulo.
FAILS: The direct discharge link between the battery casing and the lung deflation rate is visually subtle without referencing the data log.
READS: The synthetic lungs in the vitrine and the field calorimeter slip clearly bridge metabolic expenditure with mineral extraction in Kasulo.
FAILS: The direct discharge link between the battery casing and the lung deflation rate is visually subtle without referencing the data log.
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 · 39.4s total