City in the cloud. Data on the ground

The increasing digital transformation of our virtual and physical lives is leading to an exponential growth of global data infrastructures. New data centres are being built by cities and countries around the world on vast sites in order to compete on the global data map. However, their economic benefits come at a high social and environmental cost, which is being questioned and contested in many places by local communities and environmental movements. As energy-hungry, resource-intensive facilities, data centres rely on clean water and local energy grids and concentrate economic and political influence in the hands of a few multinational corporations. Details on the generation of data and data rights are also usually kept out of public debate. Data has practically become the new currency, fuelling the extraction of even more critical raw materials such as lithium, copper, cobalt and tin.

This exhibition critically examines the material and spatial implications of data infrastructure by highlighting the places where data is processed and consumed. How can the increasing demand for data and data infrastructures be managed and reconciled with fair and equitable development? What impact does ubiquitous digital connectivity have on natural landscapes, the production of space, architectural practice and memory or cultural heritage?

Last edited on 27.01.2026