User:Pleun/rwrs/Project Outline

Tentative Title

Internet Switching Policies: LAN

Introduction

One of the reasons to start this master was this urge to continue a part of my graduation project which was too technical for me at that time. The project was about trying to demystify the internet as a metaphysical power by showing parts of it's physical infrastructure. Part of my research for the project was creating my own local file-sharing network. I was planning on visualising the traffic on the network and using the network to store parts of information I gathered.

What are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on two projects and planning a collaboration for a third one.

#1 ISP: LAN

I am starting my self-directed research by recreating the little network and getting to know the language it responds to again. I'm planning on doing some tests with python to maybe do any kind of visualisation if that works out.

#2 PPC: Post Pop Culture

A small group of Arnhemmers is planning on making a new series of events which will be a combination of a digital art exposition and a dance party for the art scene. We're now brainstorming on what the term post pop culture would mean and how to involve that in the events. Until now i'm brainstorming and starting to do the graphic design. I'm also planning on vj'ing and maybe using it as a platform to exhibit some work.

#3 Unknown

I'm planning on doing a collaboration on a book with four other graphic designers, but we've only just started discussing.

What do you want it to be?

I would like it to be a self contained network, which gives the users some independence from the world wide web and maybe makes them think about different kinds of networking. The difference between my idea of the project now and the side-project I started two years ago is that back then I really wanted it to clarify and focus on the physical. Right now for some reason I'm more interested in the abstraction and the aura "the internet" seems to have.

How do you plan to make it?

Through a combination of learning new relevant coding languages and applying them, reading relevant books/essays about network (culture) for instance and a lot of testing.

Why do you want to make it?

For some reason I feel this urge to be more independent of the web, mainly because I feel big corporations and governments have more and more influence over it. There are a few big players who share the power online, so I guess I'm searching for a way to be in total control of the network protocols and my own privacy. In the project I'm planning to address one way or another that powerplay.

Who can help you and how?

For the coding parts I think Michael, Aymeric and André have lots of knowledge I could use to help me get started or figure out parts I'm not familiar with, but also talk about the protocols of the network etc. I would also really like to talk to Annet for example about the ways the network could be a library, a database or a documentation.

Relation to previous practice

As I described before, this really is the continuation of a side-project I tried to do before and dropped. I think in a lot of my work I am constantly trying to figure out who has what power and why. And is this justified or not?

Relation to a larger context

References