Created by Jonas Lund, Network Maintenance is a series of networked wall-mounted devices that explore the relationship between ownership, care, and collective responsibility. Each device consists of a custom construction housing, a display, and number of analog controls. The device function as a node in an interconnected system where each owner’s engagement directly influences the vitality of the entire network.
The device requires regular interaction—pressing buttons in specific sequences or responding to changing patterns. It’s intention –– to transform the traditional passive role of art ownership into active participation in a living system. Without proper care, individual pieces begin to show signs of decay, affecting both their own state and the broader network of devices in the series.
The work critically examines themes of responsibility, community, and the relationship between individual actions and collective outcomes. It suggests our interconnectedness may be as fundamental as the quantum fabric of reality itself. Network Maintenance invites reflection on the broader ecological and social webs that sustain us, highlighting how attentiveness, care, and responsibility toward unseen networks form essential components of our shared human experience.
Jonas has drawn inspiration from quantum mechanics, embodying principles of entanglement and superposition. Just as entangled quantum particles instantaneously influence each other regardless of distance, each owner’s actions create ripple effects throughout the entire network of installations. The system maintains multiple potential states simultaneously—a quantum superposition—that “collapses” into specific configurations only when observed and interacted with.
Each device displays various visual states that reflect the network’s health metrics: stability, responsiveness, and connectivity. Owners must maintain core resources—compute, bandwidth, and memory—through their interactions, directly affecting both their individual node and the collective ecosystem. The abstract compositions generated on each display visualize these complex relationships, creating a representation of the network’s overall health and interconnectedness.
The device(s) was created using arcade controllers, Raspberry Pi, Power Converters and a 10.4 inch screen 1024x768px. Software is web based, JavaScript app with deep package inspection running locally on the Raspberry Pi.
Network Maintenance is currently on show at Art Düsseldorf with OFFICE IMPART.
