hide and seek explores and networks the spaces of digital reality. the physical origin for this are the datacenters, whose dimension and existence is obscured by tech companies and the marketing idea of the "cloud". all google server farms were located, camouflaged with the digital link of the qr-code to the next datacenter, and then uploaded to google maps in a self-referential infinite loop. a digital game of hide-and-seek on and in google maps.
data-architecture
the internet is no longer new, but an integral part of our everyday lives. speaking of a post-internet era does not mean that we have left the internet behind us, but rather that it already permeates our lives and actions in real space do not necessarily have more impact than those in media space. the internet is a place of exchange and networking, but its physical presence seems to be placeless. a literal u-topia – a non-place. symbolized by the intangible image of the cloud. a cloud that we visit every day, but can only be experienced via the interface of our computer or smartphone. we need tons of storage space for every email, every post, every google search, every stream or every zoom call, and this storage space is growing at an ever-increasing rate. all these gigantic amounts of storage are giving rise to the largest buildings of today in front of the cities and in the countryside: data centers.
these data centers are not only large, but also consume huge amounts of electricity. this consideration causes the fluid cloud to quickly mutate into an exhaust cloud. but it's not just the enormous CO2 emissions that need to be discussed, but also the social role of this new architectural typology. In the past it was the churches, during industrialization the factories and in recent years the museums, which were built as important prestige cultural objects. today it is the data centers - the cathedrals of the 21st century.
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publication
the handmade publication was designed and published by rāumen in düsseldorf 2023. in 222 pages the documentation shows the the work »hide and seek«, in addition to graphic, research and texts.
this book is printed in a collector’s edition of 15 pieces.
