The Energy Show

Sun, Solar and Human Power
3 Sep 20225 Mar 2023, Het Nieuwe Instituut | Rotterdam
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How much energy do we have and need today? This question opens The Energy Show – Sun, Solar and Human Power, an exhibition that can be seen from 3 September 2022 through 5 March 2023 at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The exhibition, put together by curator and designer Matylda Krzykowski and in collaboration with The Solar Biennale, revolves around the sun and its design possibilities.

The exhibition, The Energy Show – Sun, Solar and Human Power, put together by curator and designer Matylda Krzykowski and in collaboration with The Solar Biennale, revolves around the sun and its design possibilities. It reflects on visitors’ personal energy levels, features dozens of examples of innovative solar technology, and poses the key question: what would the world look like if it ran on solar energy? 

From pioneering inventions to experimental Solar Design

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, art director Mirka Laura Severa, social designers Cream on Chrome and story designer Alice Wong

About the exhibition

Arranged chronologically, The Energy Show takes visitors on a journey through the history of the sun. In vibrantly designed spaces, they are first inspired to think about their own ‘energy culture’, before being introduced to a diverse range of projects and objects related to solar technology, including some from the Museum of Solar Energy. We travel from last century’s first solar developments to the future-oriented initiatives that are helping to advance the energy transition today. The exhibition sheds light on its comprehensive theme from a technological and economic perspective while also considering – through the works on display and personal questions to the visitor – the ecological and social impact of solar energy. 

More information on The Energy Show - Sun, Solar and Human Power can be found here.