Alexander Walmsley: “Earth-Building” and the image of the planet in digital real-time media in the 21st century

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the "Blue Marble" image, NVIDIA released a short video on YouTube showcasing their latest creation: a "Digital Twin" of the Earth representing the entire planetary climate system. Over the past two decades, total representations of the planet have become widespread in various fields. Nevertheless, the question as to how exactly the Earth is represented through digital real-time media has not yet been fully explored. Such media include Earth simulations, Digital Twins, and cartographic web services, among others. How do these media depict the Earth, and with what data? How can they be considered part of a cinematic tradition of realism? How are they influenced by contemporary considerations of the Anthropocene? And finally, what kind of politics do these media embody? Through literature-based research and the detailed consideration of three case studies I aim to provide an answer to such questions, revealing how contemporary perspectives on the Earth in the 21st century are both embodied and shaped by digital real-time media. This investigation will be developed through an elaboration of the term "Earth-Building", which I have coined and which is rooted in the field of remote sensing and connected to a longstanding cinematic tradition of realism.

In the artistic component of my work, I intend to delve deeper into this concept from a visual perspective and explore the aesthetics and politics associated with total real-time representations of the Earth.

• Project lead: Alexander Walmsley
• Contact: a.walmsley(at)filmuniversitaet.de
• Website: https://www.alexanderwalmsley.co.uk
• CV: Alexander Walmsley (UK, b. 1992) is an artist and researcher. In his practice, he investigates how our understanding of the earth is shifting, mediated by the new technological, environmental and social realities of the 21st century. His recent work has been shown at the Daejeon Biennale of Arts and Sciences, Tirana Art Lab, Sharjah Art Foundation, The Photographers' Gallery, and Athens Digital Art Festival. He was a commissioned artist for the Albanian pavilion of the 59th Venice Biennale and was shortlisted for the Deloitte Photo Grant in 2023 and Istanbul 212 Photography Prize in 2021. He previously studied Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Cambridge (UK) and the University of Geneva (CH).