No Network
With the flick of a switch “No Network” implements a blanket ban of mobile telephony presence. All access to the cellular (mobile) network within a 6-15m diameter aura around the object is jammed, including calls, SMS and data connectivity. In an age of mass, persistent communication, the right to not be contactable, to be ‘off-the-grid’ is enforced in the company of this object. “No Network” is the second in a series exploring fully functional, poetic manifestations of ‘cyber warfare’ and ‘cyber weapons’, following the “Transparency Grenade”. Two other tanks are in development, blocking communication of GPS location services and 802.11 (WiFi) wireless networking.
NOTE: civilian use of mobile jamming telephony is illegal in most countries. The artist intends no use of this work outside the confines of a gallery setting, with audiences being fully aware that proximity to it will result in them having no access to the network.
Oliver Julian