The Solar Biennale 2022
The first edition of The Solar Biennale, an initiative of solar designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, took place from September 8 to October 2022 in both Rotterdam and Eindhoven. It counterbalanced the prevailing technological and economic viewpoints on solar energy. For seven weeks, the biennale focused on the human angle: a solar-powered world that went beyond scientific research and uniform solar panels. Cultural practices and place-specific energy determine how the post-carbon future will develop. The Solar Biennale was and ís part of The Solar Movement dedicated to shifting the perspective on solar energy. We were invited to curate and produce the 'Sun in the City' program, showcasing multidisciplinary artists who could translate their unique visions into art. Naturally, we also took the lead in capturing the entire experience through visual documentation.
To change the dominant narrative about solar energy. It focuses on technical and economic considerations, such as efficiency and payback time. This one-sided perspective leaves no room for human and cultural values. It is time to create space for wonder, design and imagination. Space for pioneers who bring the human scale back to the drawing board. Space for aesthetics, proximity and interaction. So that we can engage in profound and emotional relationships with solar energy.
With V8 Architects, Kameleon Solar, Marjan van Aubel Studio ánd Dutch Design Week we are proud to have made The Solar Pavilion a reality. The launch of the pavilion was the final bit of the Solar Biennale and opened during DDW 2022. The 10 x 10 'solar canopy' was imagined as a space to experience the poetic power of the sun. We envisioned this monument to be an energetic meeting place where visitors could experience the sensory nature of solar energy. For this we developed a public program which consisted of different events ranging from solar talks to radiating musical interventions.
Photography: Solar Pavillion by night © V8 Architects
Mark Sheats (Brui5er)
Bruiser has been dancing since the age of 9, at 16 he was introduced to the dance style Krump, an explosive street dance style in which he can now be called one of the 'leading voices'. In his performance for The Solar Biennale, he takes the sun as a shining centerpiece and describes the metamorphosis of his physical experience through the lens of the sun. Our body, like the celestial body, is a center through which you radiate energy outward and thereby influence your surroundings. In doing so, we ourselves are a sun, radiant in energetic movement.
Neila Moon
The Dutch/Congolese singer Neila Moon takes you into her own universe with her soulful and hypnotic voice. Dreamy, warm and ethereal but also playful. For her, the sun is a source of light, energy and warmth. Without the sun and love, nothing and no one survives — the sun is love. Let Neila's sultry sounds transport you to a beautiful mysterious world, where she sees the Sun and Moon as lovers who can never be together. They are a world away from each other and their connection would go against everything. The Moon expresses her sadness through metaphors and wants the Sun to know that she draws life from his existence.
Silke Rits
Silke recently graduated from the theater program in Rotterdam, as an outlet she started hula hooping about 5 years ago. And with results. In her performance for The Solar Biennale she uses her hoops to get closer to the sun. From the intensity of the sun Silke looked at the ambiguity; the sun is intense, scary, energetic and beautitul at the same time. From the passage of time with the rising and setting of the sun, she finds grip and allows herself to be a little more dazzled in order to get more absorbed in her own world.
"I could never be an earth mouse. I need the Sun. Who doesn't?"
The Solar Biennale and (Museum) ParX join forces for an interdisciplinary programme with young Rotterdam-based creators. The result is an artistic interventions with three creatives, in which the power of the sun stands central as the source of inspiration; singer Neila Moon, hula hoop performer Silke and dancer Brui5er experiment with the sun in a residency programme. The result of their exploration can be seen during the ZONdagen.
The Circle, the symbol of The Solar Biennale, is a design by solar designer Marjan van Aubel. This five-meter high reflective sculpture is on view on different locations, traveling through Rotterdam alongside the activities of The Solar Biennale.
Partner
The Solar Biennale
Project Year
2022
Production Company
Together & Dedicated
Creative Director
Tim Wes
Producer
André Marques
Production Assistant
Siemen Tenzer
Curated Artists
Mark Sheats (Brui5er)
Neila Moon
Silke Rits
Director of Photography / Editor
Thomas de Boer
Photography
Aiste Rakauskaite
Puck Kroon
Lindy Hengst
Music
Tim Wes
Special Thanks
Nieuwe Instituut, Dutch Design Week, Blue City, Rotterdamse Oogst, Paviljoen aan het Water, Prins Alexanderplein and Middellandplein
