Rotterdam's Het Nieuwe Instituut is set to host the first-ever Solar Biennale in 2022, which will see creatives and scientists collaborate across disciplines to envision a future where everything is solar-powered.
Conceived by designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, the event will consist of a central exhibition hosted at the museum in September 2022 as well as a six-week programme of practical seminars and workshops, culminating in next year's Dutch Design Week.
By engaging designers, architects and artists in the renewable energy transition, the event hopes to showcase how solar can be integrated into the very fabric of our products and our built environment in order to power it sustainably.
Pauline van Dongen and Marjan van Aubel announced the Solar Biennale at Design Miami/Basel "The existing narrative on solar energy is very much determined by a technological and economic angle," van Dongen explained during a panel talk announcing the event at Design Miami/Basel.
"We feel that to really create change and embrace this new sustainable future powered by the sun, we need to bring in more of a cultural perspective and more human and ecological values that are still left out."
Solar power as part of our everyday lives
The amount of energy the Earth receives from the sun every hour is more than enough to power the world for an entire year.
Harnessing this energy is crucial in reaching net-zero climate targets but experts, including environmental...