I bought the cheapest possible mobile phone I could find at ASDA, for my six week stay at the ESW in Edinburgh where I did the second edition of The Temporary Art Repair Shop in 2012. It was cheap enough, but of course it turned out I couldn’t use it as a backup again for my next project abroad, because of some stupid block that forced me to buy yet another discardable phone. Still, I didn’t want to just throw it away. This brand new and very cheap mobile phone reminded me of the so called “burners” that criminals use and then immediately throw away after use, so that they cannot be tapped. A shame however, to only be safe from wire-tapping by actually throwing electronics away, and thus contribute to the growing amount of electronics waste accumulating in our society anyway. Could I maybe find a solution for how a dealer could hold onto his cheap phone and still not get traced?

I set about constructing a well sealed case for my old, almost unused phone, out of wood and with hinges and magnetic lock. To keep the tracing rays of supernational security agencies as well as supernatural beings away, I dressed the outside with roofing lead. A note for the user, I of course then oiled the lead so as not to transmit toxic lead to their hands.

I dedicate this absurd but maybe even functional attempt at privacy to the National Security Agency, wondering if this blog post will now pop up on their screens because I mentioned them? Who knows? I also particularly enjoy creating a hand-made solution to an electronic and virtual problem.