Clouds Above, Clouds Below
In Clouds Above, Clouds Below, designer Annelie Berner explored visualisations created using open-source code to reveal the entanglement of the atmospheric and digital clouds (internet servers) around us. Since atmospheric clouds can reflect heat from the sun, research on them is critical in times of the climate crisis. Paradoxically, running the digital cloud, which enabled this research, drives up carbon emissions. How then do we unpack the interconnectedness of these two clouds? As clouds in the sky transform, how will our digital infrastructures—from internet cables to server farms—be impacted?
Medium: Web experience
Year: 2021
Process
Exploring different visual ways to bring the system to life.
Messy futurescaping research about how cloud data, data about the clouds, CO2, and tipping points all meld together.
System diagram version of Clouds Above, Clouds Below.
Team
Annelie Berner
Designer
Annelie Berner is an independent designer and researcher. In her work, she uses data visualisation, experience design and futurescaping to bridge science, academia and the public. She works on research topics that range from ethics of new technologies to climate science. She has won multiple honours in the Core77 Design Awards and has exhibited projects at the Smithsonian Museum, World Health Organisation, Red Bull Arts and Ars Electronica among others.
