Strategic visibility: architectures of data colonialism in Las Vegas

Abstract

This article articulates the continuity between past and present infrastructural development in Las Vegas by focusing upon the materiality and visual cultural expression of the Google Henderson NV data center. The political implications and interstate dynamics at play in the development of this data center are historicized, focusing on large-scale tech and military projects that characterize the region’s development. Google’s promise that a data-driven future would be accompanied by social and economic benefits for the Las Vegas community lies in stark contrast to the reality of its data center’s function. The strategic adoption of Google’s vision by key local and state officials, alongside the data center’s material embodiment as visually abstract and camouflaged, allows the facility to avoid scrutiny and teaches us about the evolving position of labor in a post-Fordist economy, particularly with regard to housing and employment.