About The
Dead Electronics Medium
My dead electronics Medium speaks to our experience with science and technology. We depend on our electronics but they break, wear out and better ones are almost always available. At best, the old ones get responsibly recycled. Mishandled, toxins are released or precious metals go to waste. Here is my story of how it all started.
Origins in Science
Marilyn Gatin is a scientist, artist and activist who creates from her home studio located just outside Indianapolis, Indiana. Born and raised in a family of makers, crafters and fixers in western Canada, Marilyn has lived in the US since 1987. She came to the US originally to study Physical Chemistry, earning her PhD in Chemistry from Virginia Tech. She worked for medical device manufacturers doing discovery research, product development and FDA regulatory affairs. She currently consults on scientific and regulatory affairs in the Life Sciences.
Science of Beauty
Marilyn’s research and discovery work was in the field of vibrational spectroscopy- studying the interaction of light and matter. Her artistic interest in the effect of color on mood and energy carries this scientific understanding into application with circuit board elements providing a structural backdrop for color and surface finishes that ‘vibrate’ and deliver energy to the viewer.
City in a Circuit Board
While working on a broken video player in 1998, Marilyn imagined she saw a city on a small circuit board. Her curiosity piqued, she began painting on the boards for fun and relaxation. In time, this led to creating various art works, sculptures, and free standing pieces using discarded electronic waste as her medium. Eventually, she shared her work with others and began to use her art to bring attention to electronic waste concerns.
Art with a Purpose
Over the past 20 years, Marilyn’s work has been shown in local art and recycling shows and she has created several commissioned sculptures. She enjoys working with clients to create custom pieces that bring meaning to the owner and the spaces they inhabit. She is especially proud of her Chicken Karma series – she often gifts these adjustable sculptures to friends who are overcoming challenging times in their life – a token to remind them how they’re not “chicken”.
Interactive Installations
Hands On Indiana was a multi-year public engagement art and sustainability project for Indiana’s Bicentennial where Marilyn, as Artist in Residence for Earth Charter Indiana, collected over 3000 hand tracings as pledges to care for Indiana’s Air, Water, Food, Energy, and Biodiversity for the next 100 years.
Using Art to Bring Awareness
Marilyn’s work is expanding to bring awareness to local social justice causes. As Marilyn begins to use her art to bring awareness and support to human rights causes, she hopes to empower change through education and experience and to create opportunities of hope and healing for those who are most in need.
She is currently working on a project that is intended to bring hope to the LGBTQ community and beyond. Marilyn is also in the process converting the Hands On Indiana concept into Hands on Hope to support underprivileged communities through collective, hands-on actions.
Having a Meaningful Impact
Marilyn enjoys discovering the places where art and science intersect and connect, and has an interest and passion inspiring young people to explore the world through STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Math).
She believes art and science have the power to educate, empower and heal, and she welcomes opportunities to collaborate with individuals and organizations to create meaningful change and impact. Contact Marilyn at artist@marilyngatin.com to learn more or discuss collaboration possibilities.