New energy in design and art
15th October 2011 until 26th February 2012
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
New energy in design and art is an exhibition about energy and the search for a new balance in our living environment. Artists, designers and progressive thinkers present their (alternative) ideas about our consumption of energy.
Artists, designers and progressive thinkers play a pioneering role in raising awareness about our relationship with energy. The exhibition features surprising, strange and sometimes unimaginable objects and sculptures that deal with the theme of sustainable progress. Some are poetic, others are alienating or perhaps brilliant. But they all relevant. This exhibition will be an eye-opener.
New energy in design and art demonstrates how we can think differently about the consumption of energy. In Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen sustainable progress will be approached and presented in an art-historical context.
The artists and designers in this exhibition (including Joris Laarman, Jurgen Bey, Mischer’traxler, Gerrit van Bakel, Dunne & Raby, Auger-Loizeau, Zoe Papadopoulou, Design Drift, Theo Jansen and Tomás Libertiny) no longer think in terms of utopian ideas but show us pure reality. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen attempts to bring this reality into contact with our imagination.
Interplay between art and science
The interaction between art and science often leads to stimulating and innovative solutions. Collaborations between scientists and artists can bring about new insights. The Museum is exhibiting surprising examples by artists and designers who are providing unusual and inventive solutions to global questions. They include Atelier NL, the duo Auger-Loizeau, Paul Cocksedge, Philippe Rahm, Bertjan Pot, John Körmeling, Oskar de Kiefte, Eric Klaarenbeek, Mike Thompson, Panamarenko and Jeroen Verhoeven.
One such work poses the question; “What if power came at a cost to the individual?”
The average American consumes 3383kwh of energy per year. That’s equivalent to leaving the light on continuously in 4 rooms for a whole year. The simple flick of a switch allows us to power appliances and gadgets 24/7 without a thought to where it comes from and the cost to the environment. (See also related article ‘Smart Meters’).
For Mike Thompson’s ‘Blood Lamp’ to work, the user has to break off the top, dissolves the tablet, and use their own blood to power a simple light. By creating a lamp that can only be used once, the user must consider when light is needed the most, forcing them to rethink how wasteful they are with energy, and how precious it is.
To make the lamp work, Mike uses Luminol, a chemical traditionally used in forensics that exhibits a tell-tale chemiluminescence when it reacts with the iron found in blood. He came up with the design – which he describes as a ‘debate piece’ rather than a practicable solution to the energy crisis – while studying for his IM Masters course at the Design Academy Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 2009. You can see another example of Mikes’ work for the MOMA here.
Visitor information
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Museumpark 18-20
3015 CX Rotterdam
the Netherlands
T: +31 (0)10 44.19.400
On weekends also tel. +31 (0)10 44.19.475
F: +31 (0)10 43.60.500
e-mail: info@boijmans.nl
The museum is accessible for wheelchairs.