Sinomocene
© Davide MonteleoneSinomocene 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, globalization and relation between Powers and individuals. My work focuses on the social and environmental impact, at a global and local level, of large movements of money capital linked to geopolitical strategies.
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 per cent 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, international 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 render visible the extended social pyramid, 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 the policy such as the one of the BRI. This expansive body of work combines photographic stories and data visualisation and fieldwork in four continents.
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