As our homes become smarter, new technological infrastructure is becoming an integral part of our homes. It is changing the way we behave and interact in one of our most private and sensitive spaces.

Cutting the Cloud is an artistic research and hacking project that explores the multiple dimensions of smart home technology, using a cheap, battery-powered temperature sensor as an example. The project attempts to shed light on the origins and purposes of the sensor. It asks who it is connected to, and how it can ultimately become free.

The insights gained by looking at the temperature sensor from different perspectives have been collected in an interactive website. Through freeing the temperature sensor from the cloud, it became part of the website, influencing how much of the research will be visible in the end.