The Cloud Beneath the Ground, Under sea:

‘The cloud’ has become a part of our daily lives, but what exactly is it? As of late 2021, there are approximately 436 submarine cables sending internet data to servers around the world*. While marketing language reinforces an image of ephemerality, this course is an attempt to reveal its physicality and networked relations behind the screens. We will sift through the cloudiness of metaphor by taking a look at the ground beneath us and learn to recognize some of the networked structures hiding in plain sight and their antecedent industrial infrastructures. Readings, lectures, workshops, and field trips will guide us in our discussions regarding the geopolitical economic, social, and climate effects of massive data centers being built to support cloud computing. How do we as digital artists reconcile this gap? What work will emerge as a response to this information?