Exhibition

Text

In Meshwork, Merve Mepa materializes a multifaceted structure that weaves an intricate web of connections marked by traces of past and present technologies. The cables and pipes running through the structure form a mesh that intertwines all elements, with electronic screens functioning as nodes. Connected to computers via a local area network, these screens display archival footage synchronized with loom sounds, tracing the trajectory of technological systems shaping the world. Reproductions modeled on archaeological cord-pressed ceramic relics—thought to have been used for record-keeping—lie beneath the platform on the ground. Surrounding microcontrollers capture real-time network traffic within the exhibition space through an oscilloscope, while computer fans adjust their speed in response to the flow of data.

The installation centers on the notion of line, derived from linea, meaning “linen thread” in Latin, and explores how linearity manifests across various systems, from weaving practices to the evolution of computing. The routes or pathways along which information and resources flow within visible and invisible networks are composed of lines, often straight and orderly. These lines establish not only connections but also boundaries that divide the occupied area into regional blocks. This fragmentation transforms our understanding of place, shifting from organic, community-based systems to centralized network environments, where connections are concentrated in “power nodes” like data centers. Organizing information and movement through specific patterns, such environments also shape today’s internet and social networks, as well as underground and overground infrastructures. Whereas “meshwork,” from which the installation takes its title, refers not to a network of connections but to interwoven lines of growth and movement that are in constant flux. This perspective, framed by anthropologist Timothy Ingold, suggests that things emerge through life processes and that the focus on processes of life and creation foregrounds interconnected flows over fixed locations.

Meshwork highlights the entanglement and fluidity of evolving systems, from ancient weaving practices to the complex infrastructures of modern technologies. Spanning physical structures and digital networks, it unveils the shifting dynamics of connectivity, memory, and power.