𰄓A𰆆𰁅𰄣T 𰀦𰅈𰄡M𰆓𰄣𰂅T𰈖
DARK SOURCE: CLOUD EXTRACTION
Vektor Athens and Error 417 Expectation Failed commissioned a new work by Greek artist duo Latent Community for the group exhibition collapse: data.models.worlds., which was curated by Daphne Dragona and Katerina Gkoutziouli.
Dark Source seeks to reveal the invisible continuities between material and immaterial extraction, raising questions about the relationship between humans, technology, and the environment.
Cloud Extraction marks the first iteration of Dark Source, an ongoing critical research project on extractivism, unfolding as a poetic video essay by Latent Community that examines the transition from mineral extraction to data mining. The research takes place in the lignite villages of Western Macedonia, focusing on the social and ecological impacts of lignite extractive practices, the desertification of the region, and their long-term consequences on the landscape and local communities.
The narrative emerges from local testimonies and environmental stories, taking shape through the coexistence of visual documentation and speculative narration, and exploring the boundaries between reality and fiction. The work approaches extraction not as a closed historical chapter but as an ongoing process of transformation: the ground remains an active site of exploitation, while technology emerges as the new extractive tool of the data age.
Credits
Directed by: Sotiris Tsiganos & Ionian Bisai
Cinematography: Sotiris Tsiganos
Edited: Ionian Bisai
Composition & Sound Design: Constantine Skourlis
Narration: Dafin Antoniadou
Special Thanks: Giorgos Antoniadis, Petros Antoniadis, George Moraitis
Research material: interviews
Latent Community
Latent Community explores issues of social, political, and ecological justice. In their films they often explore topics of memory, trauma, and community identity, examining the ethics of representation and the politics of collaboration. Through immersive sound installations they are interested in the relationship between human experience and their environment. Informed by the Mediterranean, their interdisciplinary practice integrates extensive fieldwork, relational tactics and performative sequences as new ways of rendering forgotten memories, amplifying counter-narratives and exploring endangered ecosystems.
Their work has been presented internationally, including the 23rd Biennale of Sydney: Rīvus (2022); IN A BRIGHT GREEN FIELD organized by the New Museum (NY) and the DESTE Foundation (2025); VOIR LA MER at Le Maif Social Club, Paris (2025); How we remember tomorrow at UQ Art Museum, Brisbane (2024); Caravan at Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark (2023); Thinking with Alexandria at MUCEM, Marseille (2023); documenta 14 – Public Programs (2017); Sharjah Film Platform (2019); Recontemporary, Turin (2019); Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (2020); and Grand Central Art Center, California. They have received awards from LOOP Barcelona, the Sharjah Art Foundation, the ARTWORKS–SNF Artist Fellowship Program, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Public Humanities Initiative (SNFPHI) at Columbia University, and their practice has been supported through residencies at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, ONASSIS AiR, the Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto and Bozar Centre for Fine Arts.