Orcon hopes to banish the boring modem – at least for a limited time – by commissioning five New Zealand artists to turn the modem into a work of art.
Otis Frizzell, Flox, Anna Leyland, Askew One and Andrew J. Steel have all crafted unique modem designs for the Orcon Designer Series. Each modem, as fitting for a work of art, is a limited edition, with only 500 of each kind available.
Taryn Hamilton, General Manager of Orcon, expects Orcon Designer Series to help solve a real problem for home broadband users.
“Every week our customers call us with a common problem – they’re experiencing internet connectivity issues due to where they have placed their modem. Modems are often thrown in the cupboard, tucked under the couch or hidden somewhere far out of sight, when actually, they should be in a prominent spot for best coverage throughout the house, and where provides the strongest signal for devices like smart TVs that need the most bandwidth.


“We wanted to shake up the look of these seemingly boring units and what better way than collaborating with a bunch of super-talented Kiwis creatives.
“We’re stoked with the results – the modems all look amazing, have come out different, and we reckon there’s a modem to appeal to everyone.”
Hayley has created a uniquely ‘Flox’ design with the infusion of bright colours and native birds, while Anna Leyland’s ‘Perception’ and Otis Frizzell’s ‘Cable Manaia’ channel authentically Aotearoa designs, while Askew and Andrew J. Steel’s artworks give a solid nod to their street art roots.
The limited edition modems were unveiled last Thursday night at Thievery Studio, where Orcon Designer Series artist, Andrew J. Steel created a live art installation.

As the final piece of the modem puzzle, the artists have prepared their original designs on a large scale medium of their choice, to be auctioned for charity shortly following the event. All proceeds will go to Forest & Bird.
The Orcon Designer Series limited edition modems are available to all new Orcon customers – with only 500 modems printed in each design.