The Energy Show & Solar Biennale
How much energy do we have and need today? This question opens The Energy Show – Sun, Solar and Human Power, an exhibition at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The exhibition, put together by curator and designer Matylda Krzykowski and in collaboration with The Solar Biennale, is the starting point of the seven week long manifestation.
The Energy Show – Sun, Solar and Human Power
The exhibition showcases projects by artists, designers and researchers from all over the world, from pioneering inventions by ‘solar queen’ Mária Telkes to the experimental designs of Michael Jantzen, and from the solar-integrated architecture of Jessenvollenweider to creative concepts from movements such as Solar Power for Artists and Solar Mamas.
The Energy Show also features work by solar designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, architect Octave Perrault, designer Petra Blaisse / Inside Outside, art director Mirka Laura Severa, social designers Cream on Chrome and story designer Alice Wong.
"Energy shapes the conditions of our living and being on Earth. The tricky part is that energy is invisible and that we lack an understanding of its role in shaping the world. Looking at the past and present ideas around energy they always depend on human power. The same is true of the energy of the sun — an energy source we take for granted — and its solar power. What is compelling is that energy can be converted into form: it changes from one form to another. Choosing to design with the sun has potential, but we also have to consider one basic question: How much energy do we really need?"
– Curator and designer Matylda Krzykowski
The Energy Show (until March 3rd, 2023) is part of the first edition of The Solar Biennale, with Het Nieuwe Instituut being partner and main location.
The Solar Biennale
The Solar Biennale, an initiative of solar designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, counterbalances the prevailing technological and economic viewpoints on solar energy. For seven weeks (Sept. 9th until October 30th), the biennale focuses on the human angle: a solar-powered world goes beyond scientific research and uniform solar panels, after all. Cultural practices and place-specific energy needs also determine how the post-carbon future will develop.
The Solar Biennale in Rotterdam will present a variety of programs inviting designers, scientists, people from the solar industry and policymakers to formulate answers and exchange ideas. The Solar Biennale kicks off at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam and culminates at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven.
The 4 lenses of The Solar Biennale
Solar design is much more than a way to provide sustainable energy: Solar Design shapes new relationships between people and their environment. These solar (energy) relations can be explored following different themes (i.e. levels of scale and intimacy and systemic complexity and value)
The interactive and participatory programme ZON in de Stad (SUN in the City) aims to inspire citizens and Rotterdammers outside, on the streets, where the sun shines and people meet. ZON in de Stad involves Rotterdammers to participate and collectively share questions and thoughts about the energy transition.
ZON in de Stad and it’s mascotte The Circle, an installation by Marjan van Aubel and her studio, can be found at Rotterdamse Oogst, Paviljoen... aan het Water, Prins Alexanderplein en Middellandplein.
“A human and new perspective on solar energy is needed; away from just payback time and efficiency
With The Solar Biennale we show that the power of design is needed to better integrate solar into our environment. We show a world in which our sun is much more central and much more explicit.”
—Pauline van Dongen and Marjan van Aubel (co-founders The Solar Biennale/ The Solar Movement)
View and download the full programme here
Hero picture: On Solarity: Eight Principles by Imre Szeman, The Energy Show – Sun, Solar and Human Power/ Zon, zonne-energie, menskracht, photo/foto Aad Hoogendoorn
