Curated by Katharina Bosch and Nestor Siré
As part of the presentation of the Irizh project at The Vault during the art week in Mexico City.
Offline Games is an exhibition that brings together a series of collaborative projects that have been developed by Nestor Siré over the last 5 years. This exhibition focuses on SNET, a large grassroots computer network that connects tens of thousands of users throughout Havana. This offline mesh network allows users to play multiplayer video games, chat, send messages, discuss in forums, share files, or host websites, and compensates for the lack of Internet access in Cuba.
Among the projects presented is a scaled-down version of the Fragile Connections installation developed in collaboration with Steffen Köhn and commissioned by the Warsaw Biennial, Poland [2022]. Fragile Connections recreates a fully functional network node that provides access to a digital archive composed of images, interviews, and videos about the history of SNET and some community websites. This archive represents the peculiar infrastructure of the network and the creative modifications made by users (this server was developed in collaboration with software developer Eduardo Puyol).
Also presented is the infographic Structuring Process, which details the power dynamics and hierarchies within the network. This project was conceived in collaboration with sociologist Adrian Olivares and designer Mauricio Vega.
Finally, two videos and an object sculpture are presented as part of the CubaCreativa [PC GAMER] series. PC Gamer uses the NFT as a medium and platform to present digital sculptures that are, in turn, functional 3D prototypes of handcrafted towers of PC gamers. These DIY technical adaptations are alternative forms of production from the global gaming communities with a special focus on models found within the SNET community.
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