By Daisy Couture
The Solar Biennale Energy Show exhibition, which previously opened at Rotterdam’s Nieuwe Instituut in 2022, will be returning to the European stage this spring.
Image: Solar Biennale 2, Mudac
A collaboration between curator Matylda Krzykowski and solar designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, the display explores the sun’s significance and possibilities, and focuses on the interaction between the sun, solar energy, people, and design.
It places an extraordinary focus on the role of humans; after all, a solar-powered world goes beyond scientific research and uniform solar panels. Cultural practices and place-specific energy also determine how the future of our world will develop.
Excitingly, it’s set to return this year, with its second edition opening at the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts in Switzerland in March.
It showcases projects by artists, designers and researchers from all over the world, including pioneering inventions by ‘solar queen’ Mária Telkes, and creative concepts from movements such as Solar Power for Artists and Solar Mamas. The Energy Show also features works by founders Marjan and Pauline.
The exhibition takes visitors on a chronological journey through the history of the sun. At the start of our voyage, we are encouraged to think about our own ‘energy culture’, being faced with the question “Do you have enough energy?”
We then travel from the 20th century’s first solar developments to the future-orientated initiatives of today. Examples include details of Edmond Becquerel’s discovery of the Photovoltaic Effect in 1938, and, more recently, engineering student Carvey Ehren Maigue’s designs for solar panels made from food waste in 2020.
The exhibition throws light on its theme from both technological and economic perspectives, whilst also considering – through the works on display and personal questions to visitors – the ecological and social impact of solar energy.
21/03 – 21/09 2025 Mudac Musée cantonal de design et d’arts appliqués contemporains – Place de la Gare 17, 1003 Lausanne