Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) announced ‘The data center mural project‘ on its official blog on May 12, 2016. According to Joe Kava, VP Google Data Centers, everybody ignores the places and people that make Google possible.
And that notion needs to be changed, says Kava. The company got in touch with local artists, and hired them to paint something original and representative on the data centers’ outside walls. The idea is to make people look at this facilities in a different way.
“Whether it’s sharing photos, searching the web or translating languages, billions of requests are sent to “the cloud” every day. But few people think about how all this information flows through physical locations, called data centers. Because these buildings typically aren’t much to look at, people usually don’t—and rarely learn about the incredible structures and people inside who make so much of modern life possible.” Said Kava on the post.
The project began in 2 different cities; Mayes County in Oklahoma and St. Ghislain in Belgium. The company got Jenny Odell to make them a mural at Google’s data center at Mayes County. She met the engineers and they helped her understand what really happens in a data center. She took that into her design which shows the flow of information. And in St. Ghislain, a street artist called Oli-B decided to give life to his perception of the cloud. The result? A colorful and magical depiction of what machines and staff do 24/7 every single day.
The human side of Google’s latest project
The idea of the project is to show people that technology can be beautiful and also, give its employees some sort of recognition. Basically, it wants to make people happy. There are 2 more data centers already waiting for their artists. In Council Bluffs, Iowa, the honor will go to Gary Keller who was born and raised there.
He says he wants to reflect the 19th century in the 20th century, and the artist, Fuchsia Macaree, wants to demystify what happens inside Google’s data center at Dublin Ireland. She said she wanted to paint something that has a connection with the people and customs of the area.
It could be difficult to understand that the internet has a home. Thousands of computers that store and move everybody’s information are kept in large buildings all around the world, where a dedicated staff keeps them in optimal conditions to guarantee the quality of the service.
Google is a monstrous entity, but it has gained people’s affection, and with that comes popularity. A lot of artists are dying to be a part of this, so they can leave their mark in one of those important buildings.
Cynthia de Lorenzi, CEO of Success in the city, commented on Google’s official announcement “When an artist has the opportunity to impact the nerd world. I love this Google project of painting murals at data centers. Maybe I will receive an invitation to paint”
Source: Google Blog