In a continuation of Herregraven’s research into “optical mining,” Prelude to: When the Dust Unsettles expands upon the concept of the “digital twin.” In the language of extractivism, the latter term denotes a virtual representation of the physical world that simulates mining infrastructure prior to actually working on-site in order to secure financial support as well asoptimize efficiency and profits. In short, it is a method of mapping what cannot be seen. This video installation depicts the digital twin of Manono, a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo where international companies are developing lithium mega-mines, juxtaposing the virtual hyper-clean renderings of digital simulations and the physicality of the actual spaces they represent. The built landscape of Manono thus clashes with the reality of the mining industry’s toxic impact on the local population and the natural environment vis-à-vis the exploitation of workers and land, which are unabashedly concealed by the abstract language of the global economy.
