Networks, Infrastructure and Precarity

David Watkins examines the intricate interplay between networks, infrastructure and precarity in the contemporary landscape. Spanning from the evolution of global supply chains in the digital age to the ancient symbiotic network of the Wood Wide Web, the research explores the multifaceted connections that shape our modern world. Watkins establishes a foundation for investigating the relationship between abstract painting and network diagrams. Building upon this groundwork he scrutinises the role of infrastructure in shaping and distributing power, resources, and advantage within society.

Watkins underscores the interconnectedness of art, politics, and everyday life by including artists whose practices foreground infrastructure, maintenance, and repair. This discourse encompasses diverse voices, from feminist critique to documentation of industrial landscapes.

Emphasising the embodied nature of the digital through networks, infrastructure, and technologies, Watkins highlights the physical materiality of these entities and their integral role in contemporary society. Investigating the interplay between digital networks and natural systems, Watkins reveals parallels between natural mycelial networks and creative processes.

Central to the inquiry is the concept of 'precarity', the precarious space between aspiration and failure which permeates contemporary societal structures. Watkins navigates the complex intersections of art, infrastructure, and societal precarity by revealing the fragility and inequalities inherent in modern infrastructural system. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from scholars such as Anna Tsing, Jane Bennett, Timothy Morton, Akhil Gupta, and James Bridle, Watkins offers insights into the nuanced dynamics of contemporary networked societies and their implications for artistic practice and social critique. Through his multidisciplinary approach, this report contributes to ongoing dialogues surrounding the role of art in navigating and interrogating the complexities of a networked existence in the twenty-first century.