The scale of our electronic waste exported to places like Accra is astonishing. How did Agbogbloshie come to your attention?
Pieter Hugo:I saw a photo of the dump site in a National Geographic article on recycling.
TMN:What was your response when you visited for the first time?
PH:It is a very strange, surreal place, where time seems suspended.
TMN:What did the people working there tell you about the pit?
PH:The people who work there are dependent on the income from the pit. They didn’t really have time to sit and discuss the nuances of what they do or their view on it. Many of the children who work there are from extremely impoverished areas in Ghana and are grateful to be earning money, and are supporting extended families with their meagre income.
TMN:You tend to work in the same format when making portraits. Did this series influence the way you view the technology you use?
PH:Very much so. I am definitely more conscious about our culture of obsolescence.
