James Brindle
For centuries, we’ve looked to the sky to divine the future. Today, we look to the Cloud.
I’m working on making a conceptual art piece related to the ideas I’ve explored in the cloud and decentralized internet.
The cloud is:
Metaphysical
The cloud exists as a construct of large amounts of data stored in data centers on various hard drives and servers.
Despite the material systems that it exists on, it’s not something that we can “hold” with our hands. In the sense of ordinary people, without extensive understanding of technology, the cloud is intangible.
In the same way, it reminds me of holding a human brain (I’ve held a brain before but I really don’t remember wether it was a human one or an animal one). Holding a human brain suggests the fact that it once held thoughts, emotions, and cognitive processes of an entire person’s life in every aspect. It implies the existence of a person, but alone it isn’t a human. In the same way, I describe these data centers as a kind of “brain” for the internet. The existence of the cloud relies upon these functioning data centers.
Nebulous
The cloud is difficult to comprehend, it is a very abstract idea which is sort of implied by the fact that the best word we have to describe it is a “cloud”. You would think we’d have a word that implies something solid if it were so easy to understand.
Omniscient
The cloud is omniscient in the sense that it exists everywhere with an internet connection. Considering many people have access to the internet, either through public wifi or home routers, it is present in all of our lives.
Sinister
The cloud knows way too much about us, and because it isn’t a person with emotions or feelings, there’s no “negotiating”. If the cloud gained sentience, I’d imagine many people could be doomed.
This brings to mind the idea of Roko’s Basilisk, a thought experiment about sentient AI and its implications on individuals.
The cloud is all of us? All that we ever were?
Media
Installation - Video and Sound Sculpture
Art Movements
Post Internet Art Conceptual Art Speculative Objects
Artist References
K Allado-McDowell Anthony Discenza
Art Essay - Video About the Cloud
Art Essay in the form of multimedia presentation. - A meditation of the cloud and its consequences plus an explanation of what it is.
Script
What is the Cloud
Draft 1
”The cloud” is a metaphorical term used to describe the storage, management, and transfer of data between computers.
It is the way that every person using the internet accesses data. When you check your email, stream videos, use social media, all of it is a function of the cloud.
We also share excessively personal data through the cloud.
- On screen, the most personal data images
Without “the cloud”, our personal devices would need to compute large amounts of data locally. Because this is a burden our devices cannot hold, we relinquish our efforts to “the cloud”.
Because of this relationship, “The cloud” allows us to access infinitely more computational power and vast amounts of information.
But, if our computers aren’t the ones computing this data, what is?
The answer, data centers. Large facilities spread globally, containing thousands of powerful servers which store and process data.
.. Store.
They store our data.
They are maintained by large technology companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, who invest heavily in ensuring their efficiency, security, and reliability.
The cloud sees all of us We're all contained in the cloud's world
The truth is that the internet is not a democracy. The internet is an oligarchy owned by the most powerful tech companies: Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Draft 2
”The cloud” a metaphorical term used to describe the storage, management, and transfer of data between computers.
On screen, shows a diagram where a computer communicates with the cloud, then back to another phone
At its core, the cloud operates by utilizing a network of remote servers hosted on the internet to store, manage, and process data. These servers perform tasks traditionally done by local computers, allowing for greater efficiency and scalability. Information is transmitted between personal devices and these powerful data centers, enabling seamless access to resources and services from anywhere with an internet connection.
It is the omnipresent force that connects us all, the unseen power that enables every person using the internet to access vast realms of data.
Show background, sea of people
The cloud grants us boundless access to information and entertainment, transcending the physical limitations of our devices. When you check your email, stream videos, or use social media, you are tapping into the cloud’s immense capability, relying on its infinite reach.
Show all things people do on the internet, email icon, social media, blogs, video streaming
It is the silent guardian of our digital lives, ensuring our communications, creativity, and connections flow effortlessly, weaving the intricate web that binds us together in the modern world.
We also share excessively personal data through the cloud.
On screen, the most personal data images. The cloud is all of us? All that we ever were?`
Without “the cloud,” our personal devices would need to compute large amounts of data locally. Because this is a burden our devices cannot hold, we relinquish our efforts to “the cloud.”
Show a diagram of a struggling computer overloaded with data
The cloud, our solution, our savior, connects the world through technology.
Because of this relationship, “The cloud” allows us to access infinitely more computational power and vast amounts of information.
Show a vast network of interconnected servers, glowing with activity
But, if our computers aren’t the systems computing this data, what systems compute this information?
Zoom in on a single server, then pull back to reveal a massive data center
The answer, data centers. Large facilities spread globally, containing thousands of powerful servers which store and process data.
Show aerial shots of massive data centers in different locations around the world, on a higher transparent layer are pictures of data centers
Data centers are maintained by large technology companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, who invest heavily in ensuring their efficiency, security, and reliability.
Overlay logos of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and other tech giants
The stewards of our data seek to protect us from harm from malicious actors like hackers, shareholder interests, and ourselves. The cloud is a sovereign body, guardian of our digital identities.
The cloud sees all of us
Show a network of data flows connecting people to the cloud, with subtle eyes watching over
We're all contained in the cloud's world
Show a grid of faces and profiles, each connected by digital threads
The truth is that the internet is not a democracy. The internet is an oligarchy owned by the most powerful tech companies: Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Draft 3
“The cloud” is a metaphorical term used to describe the infrastructure that stores, manages, and processes data, allowing people to access and use these resources from anywhere using the internet.
It is the omnipresent force that connects us all, the unseen power that enables every person using the internet to access vast realms of data.
The cloud grants us boundless access to information and entertainment, transcending the physical limitations of our devices. When you check your email, stream videos, or use social media, you are tapping into the cloud’s immense capability, relying on its infinite reach.
It is the silent guardian of our digital lives, ensuring our communications, and creativity~~, and connections~~ flow effortlessly, weaving the intricate web that binds us together in the modern world.
Without “the cloud,” our personal devices would need to compute large amounts of data locally. Because this is a burden our devices cannot hold, we relinquish our efforts to “the cloud.”
The cloud, our solution, our savior, connects the world through technology.
Our lives exist digitally though the cloud, with every status update we share, romantic text we send, tax form we upload, search query we…
We hold a relationship with each other, as well as “The cloud”. “The cloud” cloud sees us without condition, and in return, allows us to access almost infinite computational data, information, and connection with the world.
Our computers aren’t the systems computing data, but the cloud needs computers to run from. What systems compute this information?
The answer, data centers. Large facilities spread globally, containing thousands of powerful servers which store and process data.
Data centers are maintained by large technology companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, who invest heavily in ensuring their efficiency, security, and reliability.
The cloud sees all of us. We’re all contained in the cloud’s world.
The truth is that the internet is not a democracy. The internet is an oligarchy owned by the most powerful tech companies: Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Artist References
- Laura Hyunjhee Kim - [Cheese Block]: An Intervention Without An Expiration Date That Matters
- Joseph Wilcox - Nobody Wants to Fix Things Anymore
- Hito Steyerl - Liquidity Inc.
Articles + Further Reading
- The Cloud As Art
- Illustration of a Cloud Computer Concept
- Tabita Rezaire - „Internet is not in the Cloud.“, DEEP DOWN TIDAL - Digital colonialism
- Exhibition: Songs of the Sky - Noa Jansma’s Buycloud
Further Explorations
- A search query scrape that aggregates answers to “Who Owns The Internet”