J.R. Carpenter's The Gathering Cloud is a reflective piece of digital literature that challenges the environmental cost of cloud computing through a juxtaposition of poetic fragments and historical and modern references to literal meteorology. The work combines text, overlaid images, and interactive elements in a reflective collection of thoughts on data storage and climate change. Visually, The Gathering Cloudis a collage of old cloud photographs interrupted by overlaid, on-screen dynamic text. The text is metaphorically rich, as it compares digital and atmospheric clouds which invites the viewer to reflect on the intangible material expense of the internet. The work is interacted with by mousing over or clicking on zones, releasing additional layers of interpretation. The piece cannot be simply classified as it combines poetry, digital essay, and interactive media.

Although the reading is fairly straightforward, the piece invites slow, reflective reading. The piece pushes the reader to materialize the affects of their everyday data use, removing the illusion that the effects you can’t see don’t matter. Lastly, The Gathering Cloud is a call to action, working to create an educated future, one where humans, at the bare minimum, recognize and understand the value that their actions hold.

This entry was written as a requirement for Digital Literature, University of New Hampshire, Spring 2025.