Acid Clouds
In Acid Clouds, graphic designer Niels Schrader and photographer Roel Backaert explore the material traces of digital storage across the Netherlands.
Since 2018, they have systematically documented Dutch data centers, photographing them at night from similar vantage points to reveal their spatial impact and enable visual comparisons. Their work challenges the popular notion of “the cloud” as an immaterial, environmentally friendly realm, exposing instead an earthbound infrastructure that consumes vast amounts of energy and resources. By mapping the unique traits of these server farms and conducting in-depth interviews with leaders from the Dutch internet industry, Schrader and Backaert show how our digital activities leave profound marks on the physical environment.
