The Cloud--the unknown location where things “go” when they’re “uploaded”--has become a technological metaphor for the sprawling physical mass of the internet. Although we think of the Cloud as a limitless void without a footprint, it actually represents thousands of square miles of server farms. These facilities will consume nearly 10% of all electricity worldwide in the next ten years, much of it non-renewable. Meanwhile, extreme pollution may eventually end “real” cloud growth—the kind made of water vapor—permanently.

In EATING THE CLOUD, the pancake breakfast is used to ground our experiences with both the internet and the weather. Participants will create, and eat, a text made of pancake batter. Through consuming the language of a weightless space, our hunger collides with the digital, and reveals the limits of untouchable systems.

About the artist: Kelly Clare is a visual artist and writer currently pursuing an MFA in Sculpture at the University of Iowa. She recently attended the Vermont Studio Center, and this fall curated two sites for Terrain Exhibitions in Iowa City. Kelly also co-curated a show, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH IT, which considers the space between language and objects. Her work can be found at Hobart, Natural Bridge, and elsewhere.