March 2022

Unseen & Unceasing explores different networks of connectivity and communication – from the manual connections once patched through lines in a telephone exchange, to the instantaneous mobile and fibre optic networks that have spread across the world.

However, these are not the only vast communication networks to exist – below each forest and wood there is an underground web of roots, fungi and bacteria that connects trees and plants to one another. This subterranean social network known as the ‘wood wide web’, allows trees to talk, trade, and compete with one another – but what impact are humans having on these ancient ecological networks and how will they respond to rising temperatures?

Unseen & Unceasing is part of a creative heritage project that began last year when The Art Station opened areas of the old Saxmundham telephone exchange to the public for the first time. Partnering with BT Adastral Park and Saxmundham Museum, The Art Station ran a series of heritage Open Days that celebrated the building’s historical significance as a hub for connectivity in Suffolk from the 1950s-1980s.

Taking inspiration from this project, Henry Driver has created a new digital artwork that visualises the vast, hidden connectivity of technology. Commissioned by the Art Station.

360-degree video link here.