“Kazakh Entrepreneur Converts Electronic Waste into Artistic Treasures”
Kuanysh Mukhamedzhanov, a sculptor from Almaty, Kazakhstan, has found a unique way to combat electronic waste: by converting household appliances into modern art. Mukhamedzhanov’s passion for robots has led him to turn old vacuum cleaners and televisions into futuristic figures and robots inspired by popular Hollywood movies. He has even established a robot museum in Talgar that attracts individuals passionate about robots, eco-activists, and children. Mukhamedzhanov’s art installations made of electronic waste have even caught the attention of electronics manufacturers.
“In the past seven years, I’ve recycled around 300 vacuums, hundreds of TVs, and tons of plastic,” Mukhamedzhanov said in an interview for this story. “We live in a consumer society: if a toy breaks – it is thrown away; if a tablet breaks – it is thrown away, if a phone breaks – it is thrown away and a new one is bought. And kids grow up with the mindset that if you buy it, you can just throw it away and get a new one. But when these kids come [to the museum]they see that things can have a new life. And they start trying to do things at home, making new things out of old toys and trying to recycle. These kids are inspired from a young age and start to change. It all starts with the small things.”
Mukhamedzhanov had to give up his restaurant business, face questions from his relatives, and study welding techniques and engineering fundamentals to turn his dream of creating robots and benefiting society into reality. However, he is convinced that the effort to convey the idea of waste recycling to people has been worth it.
“There’s a lot of waste being produced, especially single-use plastics. It’s good that new technologies are emerging, but there is a negative side to it. There’s a lot of household waste being generated. I’m currently in talks with large companies about their responsibility for this waste. LG, Samsung, and other companies create phones, TVs, and cars, which is great, but they have a responsibility to find ways to recycle the waste. If you’re making money from it, you need to take responsibility,” he said.
Mukhamedzhanov hopes that his art will inspire people to use their imagination and creativity to turn waste into something beautiful and useful. According to the sculptor, every small act that protects the environment is an opportunity for big change towards a better future.
