How to design a post-fossil future using the power of the sun?
2022
The Solar Biennale is a pioneering event that celebrates the transformative potential of solar energy through the interconnected worlds of design, art, technology, and innovation.
Co-founded with solar designer Marjan van Aubel and strategist Pallas Agterberg, the biennale explores not only the practical applications of solar power but also its enduring inspirational qualities—historically and in the present day—as a source of energy, beauty, and creativity. This way it aims to present a new and inclusive perspective
on the energy of the sun.
The first edition of The Solar Biennale took place in the Netherlands in 2022, in collaboration with Nieuwe Instituut and Dutch Design Week. This inaugural event sparked global dialogue around solar design and featured exhibitions and installations that showcased innovative solar-powered designs, art, and architecture. Solar Labs and talks brought together experts and creatives to explore the intersection of solar energy, culture, and technology. And a city wide programming for citizens and visitors of Rotterdam playfully engaged people in what it means to live solar powered.
At the heart of the biennale was the exhibition ‘The Energy Show – Sun, Solar and Human Power’, curated by Matylda Krzykowski. 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 featured work by solar designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, art director Mirka Laura Severa, social designers Cream on Chrome and story designer Alice Wong.
Film: Solar Biennale #1 aftermovie
