FibreNET is a technological vision that incorporates the ancient tradition of nettle fibre nets, and uses it as a poetic metaphor in the creation of a multimedia exhibit.

The gathering process, the storytelling, the experiences, the witnesses, the manufacture of a physical net, is expressed by the construction of a more subtle technological "net". FibreNET is a computer program written in HTML' and mounted on the Internet, initially as a homepage on the Prince Rupert Public L,ibrary server. In the beginning, it is a documentary, available to all who have access to the web, or who visit libraries. It will contain text, pictures, and sounds bytes, from the mass of information gathered by the artists as they pursue the vision of constructing a nettle fibre net. It is a homepage.

Two editions of FibreNET are planned. The first is a documentary version on the Internet (referred to above), and the second is a more ambitious version mounted on a physical computer at the North Pacific Cannery Village Museum. The content comes from the artists Due to the speed limitations on the Internet, FibreNET on the Prince Rupert Public 1,ibrary server is a smaller version of edited files, kept to a reasonable length to insure usability. The web site will be designed by Allan Wilson, Deputy Librarian and webmaster at the Prince Rupert Public Library. Using students to do the coding, a multimedia computer will be assembled that will exhibit a fuller version of the project than is available on the Internet. The ' net" metaphor will extend to the virtual environment as well as the physical environment where the artists work. Allan Wilson will adopt the role of "net boss" instead of webmaster, a student programmer would be a "net mender", and so on.

In a performance space of approximately 600 sq feet at the Museum site, video footage (standard television video), tapes, songs, stories, and photographs, will be cycled through a multimedia computer to audience goers. Visitors can use a touch-screen to access live video, audio, textual, and photographic material from the project. The computer will control speakers, video player, and tape machines, and represents a fuller version of the Internet site, in fact, all its source material. Furnishings for the room will be constructed by the artists or contributed by outside agencies such as the library, which has agreed to supply chairs, for example.

The computer features a large 19-21" screen, 13 GB hard drive, MMX Pentium 233 MHz processor, 32 bit sound card, CD-ROM, MPEG2 video, and a connection to the Intemet. If possible, the computer will detect motion in the room in order to activate various devices to provide an entertaining display and description of the material in the room such as hanging nets, photographs, and artifacts: created or found by the artists. The computer supports, documents, and provides automatic dissemination of the work. Users can touch the screen to delve as deeply into the subject as they want. An interactive guestbook and feedback; page will allow visitors to record their impresslons and create their own "oral history".

The purpose of the interactive computer display is efficient since the display becomes self-managing. It will record visits, statistics, and the comments of people. Like the nettle net itself, FibreNET will continue to gather int'ormation from those who witness it. The computer system will insure that the living process of net construction is recorded and documented in all its subtle variety.

All technical equipment will be coloured black, so that the technology can recede into the background of the exhibit, rather than intrude, and people can be made to feel comfortable. In as far as possible, all equipment will be modular and configured for easy disassembly and movement, with wiring colour coordinated.

The 2-stage design (Internet site at the library; multimedia site at the cannery) is necessary due to the physical limitations and remoteness of the area. The Prince Rupert Public Library Intemet site administered by the Deputy Librarian is the largest public site available to the people in all the Pacific Northwest. It is comprised of a dozen public computers and is currently upgrading from a satellite server to a new ADSL fibre optic connection. The library is accessible to all area residents, both native and non-native. The technical expertise is available from the library at a very slight cost.

In Port Edward (some 15 km from the Prince Rupert Public Library) where the North Pacific Cannery is located, the phone lines are inadequate to manage the Internet, and there is no Internet service provider available. Furthermore, cable does not extend to the cannery due to coastal mountains. The current bandwidth on the Prince Rupert Public Library's satellite server is already proving inadequate for their needs after one year of operation, and they are in the process of upgrading to a high-speed connection.

The computer unit will be housed in a custom-built wooden cabinet. Funds for the technology will be raised from fundraising activities and will not impinge on the grant in any way.