Hardware Reincarnation: The Electronic Vape Synth

About

This full-day studio invites participants to explore Upstream Salvage as a design method—a mindset that transforms broken, discarded, or obsolete electronics into sites of creativity, experimentation, and care.

Building on the "Vape Synth" project—a sound instrument created from recycled vape hardware—the session expands this approach into a collective workshop on re-use and unmaking. Participants disassemble vapes and other salvaged devices to build synthesizers and quick, tangible prototypes that reveal new interaction logics.

What is Upstream Salvage?

Upstream Salvage performs a vertical or diagonal intervention, moving materials backward across stages of the production pipeline. By engaging with components after their consumer life and reintroducing them into the design space that precedes consumption, participants effectively move materials back upstream—transforming end-of-life electronics into provisional machines once again.

Call for Participants

This workshop is open to all TEI '26 conference attendees. Please register through the TEI website. After you registered via the TEI website, please use the RSVP link for workshop related communications.

Who Should Attend?

This studio welcomes participants from diverse backgrounds:

Designers and makers interested in sustainable practices and material reuse
Researchers exploring alternative design methodologies
Students and educators interested in sustainable practices and material reuse
Artists and technologists working with electronics and sound
Anyone curious about transforming discarded electronics into creative tools

What to Bring

While materials will be provided, participants are encouraged to bring:

Your own salvaged or broken electronic devices to explore
A laptop or device for documentation (optional)
Curiosity and enthusiasm for collaborative making

Schedule and Agenda

09:30 – 09:45

Arrival & Setup

Display of Vape Synth examples, group introductions

09:45 – 10:05

Talk – Salvage as Meta-Method

Presentation on Vape Synth, global repair cultures, and workshop ethos

10:05 – 10:35

Guided Disassembly

Safety briefing; participants open vapes and identify components

10:35 – 12:15

Guided Assembly

Make base photoresistor synthesizer using components from vapes; disassemble additional salvage

12:15 – 13:15

Lunch / Break

Lunch

13:15 – 14:00

Community Session

Conversation on salvage and projects; ideate

14:00 – 15:45

Free Form Assembly

Make variants and explore alternative builds

15:45 – 16:30

Documentation Session

Share zine template; collect photos, schematics, and text for Salvsage Recipes Zine; make zine together!

16:30 – 16:45

Showcase & Reflection

Share results and findings, collect feedback

16:45 – 17:00

Clean-Up

Pack up materials and reset the space

What You'll Take Away

A functioning prototype on breadboard built from salvaged components
Documented process and "salvage recipes"
Heightened awareness of wastes' potential as design material and ethical dimensions
Connection to a community of practice around salvage and reuse

Materials Provided

Vape units, peripheral components (wires, speakers, resistors), hand tools, and safety equipment. Participants are encouraged to bring their own salvaged devices as well.

Organizers

Workshop Leaders

The following organizers developed the materials and lead the workshop:

shuang cai

Human Centered Design, Cornell University

ITP, New York University

sc3549@cornell.edu

Kari Love

ITP, NYU

Brooklyn, New York, USA

klove@nyu.edu

David Rios