When the clouds went north: Exploring landscapes of data centres and extraction in Northern Sweden

• Main Author: Årström, Hanna
• Other Authors: Bhowmik, Samir, Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, media, Niinimäki, Matti, Aalto University, Aalto-yliopisto
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: data centres; media infrastructure; Sweden; Norrbotten; indigenous peoples; geology; mineral extraction; film; Jokkmokk; Luleå; Malmberget; Northern Sweden; Sámi
• Online Access: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/107040

In recent years, infrastructure for new media has attracted great interest in both academic discourse and media art. The amount of data globally is growing exponentially, leading to a surge in data centres. Over the past decade, the Nordics have been subjected to a rapid expansion of data centres. Despite the examination of the data storage industry and its effects, to my knowledge the data centres in northern Sweden are rarely discussed in regard to their dependence on infrastructure originally built for the traditional industries such as mining and hydropower that have high environmental impacts and links to colonialism. How can these entanglements be examined and made visible from a local, cultural and indigenous perspective? In this thesis, I examine the role and impact of data centres in Sweden's northernmost region, Norrbotten, where land and energy use is constantly weighed in relation to the Sámi people's claims and rights. I have used film as the method of artistic research due to the possibilities to document landscapes, industries and people, and finding inspiration in other artists’ films on data and geology. Through three field studies and two interviews, I collected material for a video installation called When the Clouds went North. It consists of three parts: The Data Centre, The Mine and The People. The first part explores the data centre industry in the region, starting with Facebook's establishment in Luleå. The second part shows the environmental impact of the mining industry through images of the mining community Malmberget that must be moved due to the risk of landslides. The third and final part presents interviews with two Sámi people from Jokkmokk who address environmental and indigenous issues through art and politics, respectively. The film aims to make visible the material and human aspects of data storage in Norrbotten. The interviews in combination with images of environmental damage show the far-reaching impact the mining and hydropower have had on the region's history, culture and ...