Network is an interactive website that accumulates the window sizes of web browsers that visit the site and transforms them into an endless scrolling feed.
Site visitors can contribute to the work by clicking or tapping on-screen. The size of the user's browser window is captured and transformed into colourful window panels that users can explore by scrolling. The artwork then accumulates to progressively become an archive of all of the past web-browsers who have interacted with the website.
The artwork was developed during COVID-19 lockdown in recognition and response to doomscrolling - the act of addictively scrolling through endless news and social media feeds and consuming bad news regarding the pandemic. By seeking assurance to gain a sense of preparedness and control during times of uncertainty, doomscrolling sets up a feedback loop of continually drawing people back to the news and scrolling yet again. This transient assurance gained by reading the news worsens anxiety over time.
The artwork explores the soothing compulsion of doomscrolling by perpetually enticing the viewer with the possibility of something new appearing in the feed. The movement and positions of the browser windows are constantly recycled and updated as the user scrolls, merging and overlaying with previous user interactions. This generates an endlessly changing stream of information, and unique artwork for each audience to observe.