“The Sonic Tales of Juuliia’s Cats” is a folkloric myth set in a fictional world. It tells the story of three gigantic cats whose eternal sleep is interrupted by the loud hum of data centers. In reaction to this disturbance, the cats materialize in the real world and surround the data center. To counteract the servers’ hum, they begin to purr. This purr violently resonates through the data center’s material, ultimately shattering the machinery into pieces. And so, the purring of our companion species becomes an act of environmental protection and care, a form of resistance against the intrusive hum of data extraction practices.
Yann Martins (CH) is a coder, artist and doctoral candidate at Critical Media Lab in Basel, Switzerland. His practice critically investigates of how algorithms organises everyday life, matter, and meaning, weaving together technical expertise with critical, often playful methodologies.
