visual voltage exhibtion design vlaanderen, brusselsseptember 11th – october 25th

visual voltage is an exhibition which explores the use of energy through smart design. the show is meant to give insight into electricity, energy consumption and environmental issues. the projects on show are all developed by swedish designers and artists, expressing their creative roles as a means to generate awareness and debates on essential issues such as sustainability and energy consumption, shedding new light on how we use electricity. the exhibition is one of the expos which is part of design september brussels 2009 which runs from september 10th to october 2nd, 2009.

energy aware clock by loove broms, karin ehrnberger, sara ilstedt hjelm, erika lundell, jin moen, 2006 – 2008 image courtesy of interactive institute

the energy aware clock is designed to make you aware of your energy consumption on a daily basis. the clock visualizes the daily energy rhythms of the household and reminds us of the ordinary kitchen clock in its form, place and use. the clock indicates electrical use of its environment in real time.

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 2the device is hung on your wall like a normal clock, and can read the electricity being used in the space where it is situated image courtesy of interactive institute

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 3image by per erik adamsson

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 4power aware cord by anton gustafsson, magnus gyllenswärd, sara ilstedt hjelm, christina öhman in collaboration with thinlight AB, 2004-2006 image courtesy of carl dahlstedt

this power cord has been designed to visualize the energy of the current use of electricity of appliances connected with it through glowing pulses, flow and intensity of light. it can be used as a tool for people to rediscover energy in their homes as well as having an ambient display of their consumption that they can see at any given time.

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 5image courtesy of carl dahlstedt

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 6the power cord provides an ambient display of light image courtesy of carl dahlstedt

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 7 the cord illuminates a dark spaceimage courtesy of interactive institute

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 8energy curtain by anders ernevi, margot jacobs, ramia mazé, carolin müller, johan redström, linda worbin, 2004-2006 image courtesy of interactive institute

the energy curtain reinterprets our familiar relation to curtains as a means of controlling light in a room. the curtain must be drawn shut in order to collect light, and the amount and duration in which it is drawn during the day determines how much light is collected for the night. it gives users the choice as to whether to open the curtain and enjoy the day light, or close it and save energy for later. even through the mundane act of opening or closing the curtain embodies the trade-off between consuming and conserving energy.

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 9 it’s up to you to decide whether you want to let in the sunlight, or close the curtain and save the energy for laterimage courtesy of carl dahlstedt

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 10image courtesy of carl dahlstedt

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 11flower lamp by sofia lagerkvist, charlotte von der lancken, anna lindgren, katja sävström, göran nordahl technical modifications by: anton gustafsson, fredrik kronqvist, 2004-2006 image courtesy of interactive institute

the shape of the flower lamp responds to the amount of electricity being used in the household. with a decrease in usage, the flower lamp slowly opens up and appears as if its ‘blooming’. on the contrary, if energy consumption increases, the lamp closes into a closed cylindrical form, which also effects the quality of light emitted. in order to make the flower lamp more beautiful, a collective change in behaviour is needed.

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 12the flower lamp blooms when you decrease your household electrical use image courtesy of interactive institute

visual voltage exhibition at design vlaanderen, brussels - 13aware laundry lamp by loove broms, karin ehrnberger, sara ilstedt hjelm, erika lundell, jin moen, 2006-2008 image courtesy of per erik adamsson

this device combines laundry drying rack with lamp. it is an attempt to marry positive symbols and activities like air drying your clothes in the sun, with designing your own lampshade. switching on the lamp if the rack is indoors, helps dry clothes faster as well as adding a certain type of ambiance to the room. through this feature, the design is commenting on the fact that 95 percent of electricity used in a traditional light bulb is transfered to heat and only 5 percent is actually light.