Circuit Breaker is a networked community-participated installation that critiques the culture of constant connectivity. The installation aims to provoke reflection about the social and energetic impact of our constantly connected digital lives. While harmony between man and machine, body and the network are seen as the primary aspirations of our post-industrial digital society, it has the potential for long-term discord to both natural ecologies and wider implications to local communities. Constant connectivity is not only energy-intensive but could also result in growing dissonance in society at multiple scales: from the social to the political, from resource depletion to climate change. Infrastructures that support connectivity still remain perceived generally as intangible and ethereal just like the ‘Cloud’.

The installation took the form of panel of customized ‘coal’ meters and indicator light switches linked to a distributed network of online participants. Each meter remotely measured the data transfer (combined uploads and downloads) of an online participant, and translated and displayed it into coal consumption as per energy use. Individual network connectivity was dependent on an upward threshold of maximum data transfer. That is once the upwards limit of 30 grams of coal consumption was reached, the participant would be kicked off the system. 3 megabytes of data transfer was considered to be equal to the consumption of 1 gram of coal. The meter was calibrated to an upward limit of 30 grams, or 90 megabytes of data usage (based on several scientific studies). A green light button signaled ongoing data transfers and a red light indicated the ceasing of the connection. Upon pressing of the green light button, the connected was restored.

The installation was powered on from 10.00 to 16.00. from May 20-26, 2019 at the MAA-Tila Gallery in Helsinki during the Pixelache Festival 2019. It was also later exhibited in the V1 Gallery at the Aalto University.