Networks of Necessity

‘Networks of Necessity’ explores how communities in Lebanon and the Middle East respond to energy scarcity during war and crisis through informal, decentralised networks. When state systems collapse and energy becomes a tool of control, resilience emerges through collective ingenuity and grassroots adaptation. Drawing on personal experience and regional research, the project makes these strategies visible and tangible.

An uprooted electrical pole from Lebanon becomes an interactive installation, where visitors flip circuit breakers to activate shifting soundscapes and visuals, creating a sensory experience of fractured power. An interactive cross-stitched textile map visualises how smaller, decentralised power networks operate within the larger grid. An open-source digital archive shares these grassroots solutions, extending their reach beyond their immediate political and historical context.

By transforming abstract notions of energy justice into embodied experience, ‘Networks of Necessity’ celebrates empowerment through everyday acts of resistance and community resilience.