SINOMOCENE
"Sinomocene" (2014-2021) is a data-driven investigation that takes its cue from the documentation of the Chinese initiative known as "Belt and Road" to investigate more widely on issues of new forms of colonialism, globalisation and relation between Powers and individuals. My work focuses on the social and environmental impact of large movements of money capital linked to geopolitical strategies at the global and local level. Announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, BRI is a 1 trillion USD investment to lay the foundations for long-term economic growth across developing economies. The BRI aims to connect sixty-five percent of the world's population and link developing regions through hard infrastructure like roads, railways, ports, and even digital infrastructure. Because of the underlying geopolitical nature of any country's ambitions of international influence, this work pertains to some of the most urgent global issues of our time relating to soft power, cultural integration, environmental conservation, inclusive economic development, global power and fragmented sovereignty. As a storyteller with a background in photojournalism, art, and politics, I have always been interested in the various possible uses of photography in relation to other disciplines, such as history, politics, economics, and data. With 'Sinomocene', my goal is to make the extended social pyramid visible, where the apex is the enormous Chinese financial investment and the base is made of millions of individuals in the world affected by the strategy and policy such as the one of the BRI. This expansive body of work combines documentary photography, data visualisation, satellite geo analysis. More…
Credits:
Davide Monteleone: Concept and imagery
Viraj Parikh: Lead of Economic and Data Analysis
Interactive Things ( Flore de Crombrugghe / Peter Gassner): Data Visualization
Data Sources:
AidData: Geocoded Global Chinese Official Finance
American Enterprise Institute: China Global Investment Tracker
Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Mapping China’s Tech Giants
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Overseas Diplomatic Missions
Hanban Institute: Confucius Institute Annual Development Report
International Monetary Fund: Direction of Trade Statistics
Kiel Institute for the World Economy: Working Paper 2132, China’s Overseas Lending
Transparency International: Corruptions Perceptions Index
United Nations World Tourism Organization: Bilateral Tourism Matrix
