Paper short abstract:

The purpose of the presentation is twofold. First is to reflect on the way production workers try to determine the life and predict the death of a particular object, namely a laminate, and second to speculate on the story of the laminate from its own perspective.

Paper long abstract:

The goal of the presentation is to reflect on the way in which the life and death of a specific object, a laminate, is inscribed in the very process of its production. As the laminate comes off the production line, it is carefully examined by a group of lab technicians who assess its quality and temporal specificity. The purpose of these activities is to try to predict its further course of life fate, in particular how it will relate to other things and its potential expiration date, the point at which it can no longer be considered useful. Laminate in the human world does not exist as a separate thing. In the later stages of its life, it is transformed into labels or stickers, and thus has no identity of its own, since its being depends on its ability to adhere to various objects, such as glass or plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, medical assortment, or food. I would also include in the presentation how the story of the laminate's life and death can be told from its own point of view. The presentation is based on ethnographic research conducted on the production floor of a company that is part of a multinational corporation.