skyen

permanent installation / commision
materials: 300+ networked microcomputers, LED light, server rack, network switches, ferns, algorithms, network and code
dimensions: 10x15x8m
year: 2022

skyen is a permanent commission for spinderihallerne in vejle; a concrete physical and aesthetic abstraction of a data centre. consisting of 300+ networked microcomputers, connected by myriads of network cables and LEDs. skyen renders visible algorithmic logics and beauty, creating a space which is hyper complex, but also welcoming and soothing.

the installation has been developed to reflect the architecture and the history of the building, but also its current use; currently spinderihallerne hosts a cafe, a culture house, a museum, a fablab, startups, artist studios and several others. the weaved network cables draws upon the role of spinderihallerne in the first industrial revolution, where thread was produced in the building and at the same time points towards the network as an integral part in contemporary economics and industry. hanging under the ceiling, in front of the fablab, the installation speaks through the language and materials which is used in the fablab, with the conceptual weight and aesthetic detail of contemporary art.

skyen emits its own wifi hotspot where visitors can gain access to a server which holds a curated collection of text, images, sound and video, dealing with the subject of global computation, data ecology and networks of scale. on the server you can also gain access to a text based control panel, which offers command line control over the algorithms controlling the cloud. the installation is highly interactive, but only if you are willing to take command line control.

from a technical perspective the installation is brutally simple. it is through scale and the networked logic it gains its complexity and beauty. this is intentional as the installation mirrors the brutalistic repetition of real life data centre structures and since the circuitry and code is available as open source, even beginners of electronic tinkering can understand the basics of what is going on. the relative simplicity of the design opens up for educational workshops for the fablab and local schools, in which students are able to build, hack and program cloud modules in the fablab.

since its arrival the installation has created a new room in spinderihallerne. for this room a program is currently being developed dealing with different aspects of our network based existence. talks, concerts, a newly started artist in residence program and morning yoga under the cloud has been conducted so far. and more is under development. in this way skyen has become a new space for reflection on the network as the natural. a place to discuss and explore how to live our networked lives in a more conscious and sustainable way.

team:
electronics consultant: peer klausen / gadget group
architecht: tobias permin
server side programming: halfdan mouritzen
server rack PC modding: bryon voltzow

created with kind support from the danish arts council, 15. juni fonden, det obelske familiefond, aage og johanne louis-hansens fond and statens værksteder

special thanks to eva sommer hansen, gustav johannes hoder, fablab spinderihallerne and all the awesome volunteers who helped assemble the piece: alexander andersen, andreas vester, bishnu bishnu, bryon voltzow, daniel blitze, ellen kirstine hvidt, emma laycock, eva sommer hansen, flemming navne, jacob bjerregaard, jakob pless, jens coster, jesper nygaard, julie lagoni, jørgen tietze, kim hg petersen, lars eriksen høeg, magnus helledi, marcus varst, martin tandrup, mathias nicolajsen, meilinda wan, michal ksiazek, mirjam freund, niller thomsen, peer klausen, peter dahl, poul erik andersen, preben payne, sanne moth, sarah trahan and victor bala

conversation with nathalie koerner, recorded at the opening event on april 5th 2022.