May Abnet

The earth is dotted with valleys, created by centuries of erosion. If Mesopotamia is the birthplace of the first agricultural revolution and the earliest river valley civilisations, then Silicon Valley is the birthplace of the digital revolution. The ICT entrepreneurs of this Californian tech hub were influenced by the libertarianism and counterculture of the 1960s. They believed that a computer and knowledge economy would create a virtual, global, borderless and decentralised common space for everyone. Our information economy has indeed accelerated time, fragmented space and blurred the distinction between rural and urban environments. However, this techno-utopia is turning into a techno-nightmare. Today's world is ruled by monopolistic technology megacorporations that collect enormous amounts of data from our daily lives. Our lives are now partly determined by data and algorithms. 

For Fieldwork, May Abnet is looking for a valley in the countryside. A valley as a meaningful place to collectively reflect on information technology and geographical spaces. To reflect on extraction valleys and competition peaks. To connect ideas in a web of many learning streams.