Solar Protocol (2021-2024)
Solar Protocol explores natural rather than artificial intelligence. The work takes the form of a network of solar powered servers, installed and maintained by volunteers around the world that collectively hosts the Solar Protocol web platform. This platform is then served to visitors from wherever there is the most sunshine in the network. The project reconfigures internet protocols with the logic of the sun, where decisions about where internet traffic is sent and what content is displayed on the site, are automated according to an environmental logic derived from the season, the time of day and weather conditions across the network.
In 2021, we began sending out custom solar powered servers to project collaborators around the world, people who volunteered to be our server stewards. Currently we have servers set up in New York City, Trent Canada, Alice Springs Australia and Nairobi Kenya.
To read more about the project and the technology behind it, visit the site, the code repository or see our paper, Solar Protocol: Exploring Energy-Centered Design published in Computing within Limits.
Data visualization of network activity. 'Tega Brain – Solar Protocol, 2023.’ Courtesy of the artists.
Network illustration.'Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson and Benedetta Piantella – Solar Protocol, 2023.’ Courtesy of the artists.
Server installed and maintained in Newcastle Australia by Caddie Brain.
'Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson and Benedetta Piantella – Solar Protocol, 2023. Photo: Caddie Brain.’
'Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson and Benedetta Piantella – Solar Protocol, 2023. Photo: Caddie Brain.’
Server installed and maintained in Peterborough, Canada by Anne Pasek. 'Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson and Benedetta Piantella – Solar Protocol, 2023. Photo: Anne Pasek.’
Server installed and maintained in Brooklyn, USA by Bennedetta Piantella. 'Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson and Benedetta Piantella – Solar Protocol, 2023. Photo: Bennedetta Piantella.’
CREDITS
Solar Protocol is by Tega Brain, Alex Nathanson, and Benedetta Piantella.Front end, visualization and writing: Tega Brain.
Networking, back end software and hardware design: Alex Nathanson.
Hardware design and community management: Benedetta Piantella.
Server stewards: Anne Pasek , Caddie Brain, Brendan Phelan, John Samoza, Camilo Rodriguez Beltran, Daniel Ñuñez, Alejandro Rebolledo, Graham Wilfred Jnr, Tim Chatwin, Bridgit Chappell, Baoyang Chen, Denzel J. Wamburu, Cyrus K, Chris Stone, Jesse Li, Zoë Horsten, and Jarl Schulp.
This project is supported by the Eyebeam Rapid Response for a Better Digital Future program, Code for Science & Society's Digital Infrastructure Incubator, and a Mozilla Creative Media Award.
FURTHER READING
Brain, T., A. Nathanson, and B. Piantella. "Solar protocol: Exploring energy-centered design." In Eighth Workshop on Computing Within Limits 2022, vol. 7, p. 21. 2022.EXHIBITIONS
»Renaissance 3.0«
ZKM, Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe
Mar 24 - Oct 8, 2023
The Solar Biennale
Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, Netherlands
9 Sep —30 Oct 2022
Coordinate System · Sky Box,
Hyundai Artlab, Beijing,
August 28 2021 – November 17 2021
Tega Brain, Benedetta Piantella and Alex
Nathanson, »Solar Protocol«, 2021–2023, in
Renaissance 3.0 at the ZKM | Karlsruhe, 2023.
© ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Photo: Tobias Wootton.
Renaissance 3.0 at the ZKM | Karlsruhe, 2023.
© ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Photo: Tobias Wootton.