Digital Gold

Beneath the surface of the global tech industry

The digital transition to a greener economy and society demands the increased production of smartphones, tablets, and computers at unprecedented speed. These devices cannot function without the rare earths used in their components. Gold is one of these valuable minerals: about 7% of the world’s gold is used for technological purposes. Despite its important contribution to the digital economy, the gold business remains uneven and non-transparent. This is particularly problematic for global workers, about 80% of whom are involved in so-called artisanal and small-scale mining in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Accidents are common in the mines and the health conditions of the miners, of whom up to 50% are women and minors, are poor due to frequent exposure to mercury and dust.

Gabriel Kamundala, PhD student at the Department of Political Georgraphy at the University of Zurich (UZH), and Florian Bruggisser, engineer and interaction designer at the Immersive Arts Space at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), have collaborated on the exhibition Kamituga – Digital Gold (2022) to document and visualize the conditions of the miners and the workflow of the gold coming from Kamituga a region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The panel is moderated by Gayatri Parameswaran, a Berlin based director and producer of immersive works.

This panel is co-organized by the University of Zurich (UZH) and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in the framework of “Zürich Meets Berlin” and the “Berlin Science Week”.

It is followed by a flying networking dinner from 7:00–7:30pm.