the data reserve

installation / sculpture
materials: aluminum, wood, sound
dimensions: variable
year: 2026

the data reserve explores the concept of data as the raw material of the 21st century. whereas data was once compared to oil – a scarce and valuable resource – we now face a situation defined not by shortage but by overwhelming abundance. the volume of data has exploded, while its informational value has steadily diminished.

with the rise of generative ai technologies in 2022, the production of data online has become largely automated. entire data centres now continuously generate synthetic content without human oversight. by 2025, the amount of synthetic data had already surpassed that created by humans.

this work envisions a near-future scenario where the ability to distinguish data from information has been lost. as a result, offline copies of the internet, created before the generative ai breakthrough, have become extremely valuable. the data reserve acts as a physical counterpart to gold reserves, reflecting how value shifts through technological paradigm changes. the early internet is presented here as an artefact – a frozen moment contrasted against today’s endless, self-replicating and degenerating data streams.

part of the exhibition "unruly economy" at the the danish bank and savings museum.

created with kind support from the danish arts council and rådet for visuel kunst

special thanks to VAK, emilia sølvsten and tobias permin for help and support.

listen to the sound of the installation here or click below