Artists in Conversation: Tiana Birrell

Learn more about Birrell’s exhibition the weight of a cloud, currently on display in the museum’s AIR Space through January, 8, 2021. In the weight of a cloud, Birrell uses video and image-based work to linguistically separate the language of a physical, ethereal cloud and digital storage. Although the name suggests a floating, ephemeral, and nebulous form, the digital cloud is physically grounded in racks of data servers, rows of concrete monoliths, and endless spools of wire, requiring massive amounts of natural resources. For example, The National Security Agency (NSA) data servers, located in Utah, use 65 megawatts of power and approximately 1.7 million gallons of water—a day—simply to operate.