The Flood
‘The Flood’ is born from research into crypto-currency and its mining and energy needs, and makes use of abstractions based on its forms, concepts and ideas. The work alternates between documentary style images and simulated 3D objects in the environment. Although
Although cryptocurrency is immaterial in itself, it needs powerful material infrastructure to exist; graphic cards and specialized devices to encrypt and decrypt the transactions and keep the network running, rare earth minerals to build the devices and huge amounts of often carbon-based energy to keep them working, and so on.
The work is presented as a three-channel video installation combined with digital prints. One video renders a continuous shot from one of the biggest Estonian crypto mines, located in a former prison, showing the character of this kinds of spaces. It is accompanied by an audio track, which switches to experimental electronic music that resonates with the science fiction-like images of the dark space. The second video mixes footage from cryptocurrency and oil shale mines in Estonia with 3D animations. Oil shale is the main energy resource in Estonia and used to create cryptocurrencies. Imperfect 3D models of the crypto mines and other environments and objects refer to the ‘original’ use of graphic cards. The third video contains interviews with various local people who used to operate small scale mines before and after the boom. The videos are complemented with still images of various mines – from oil shale to DIY cryptocurrency mining rigs.
