English language
Published 2023 by NAi Uitgevers / Publishers Stichting.
Acid Clouds
Mapping Data Centre Topologies
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Acid Clouds: Mapping Data Centre Topologies explores the hidden infrastructures of our digital lives, exposing the political, ecological and social dynamics that data centres embody. It goes beyond the sanitised image of the ‘cloud’ and unravels the material and ethical complexities of these often overlooked data storage structures.
Edited by Niels Schrader and Jorinde Seijdel, the book features essays by international authors examining data centres from perspectives ranging from artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital commons, decolonialism and technodiversity to urban strategies, environmental impacts, extractivism, algorithmic bias and digital capitalism. Roel Backaert’s night-time photographs of 101 Dutch data centres capture their imposing presence and question their hidden impact. Together, these perspectives illuminate the power structures, environmental impacts and cultural implications of data centres.
Acid Clouds encourages readers to rethink the ethics of our digital dependency and poses vital questions. How can we rethink ownership and control over data? How can we …
Acid Clouds: Mapping Data Centre Topologies explores the hidden infrastructures of our digital lives, exposing the political, ecological and social dynamics that data centres embody. It goes beyond the sanitised image of the ‘cloud’ and unravels the material and ethical complexities of these often overlooked data storage structures.
Edited by Niels Schrader and Jorinde Seijdel, the book features essays by international authors examining data centres from perspectives ranging from artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital commons, decolonialism and technodiversity to urban strategies, environmental impacts, extractivism, algorithmic bias and digital capitalism. Roel Backaert’s night-time photographs of 101 Dutch data centres capture their imposing presence and question their hidden impact. Together, these perspectives illuminate the power structures, environmental impacts and cultural implications of data centres.
Acid Clouds encourages readers to rethink the ethics of our digital dependency and poses vital questions. How can we rethink ownership and control over data? How can we resist the extractive tendencies of digital capitalism and envision a more just, digital future? The book challenges us to critically engage with the hidden yet ubiquitous infrastructures that shape our world.
Text contributions by Ramon Amaro & Sheena Calvert, Annet Dekker, Mél Hogan, Michiel van Iersel & Mark Minkjan, Marina Otero Verzier, Ned Rossiter, Niels Schrader, Jorinde Seijdel, Füsun Türetken, Waag (Marleen Stikker, Max Kortlander, Sander van der Waal), and photography by Roel Backaert in collaboration with Niels Schrader.