Revision as of 22:46, 11 November 2023

Loose Energy Curriculum: Grow your own solar cell Grow you own solar cell: Energy crafting

with 施 惟 捷 Shih Wei Chieh, Maya Minder, Wiriya Rattanasuwan, TITiPI (Femke Snelting, Martino Morandi) and Regenerative Energy Communities

Dates: 23 September 14.00-18.00, 24 September 11.00-15.00

Location: AIA Art Space, Löwenbräukunst Limmatstrasse 268 8005 Zurich

Energy Crafting is a two day worksession led by 施 惟 捷 Shih Wei Chieh and Maya Minder, with inputs from The Institute of Technology in the Public Interest, Wiriya Rattanasuwan and Regenerative Energy Comumunities. Over the two days participants will be introduced to the connections between DIY energy craft, practices of infrastructure building, art and community practices of regeneration and technologies in the public interest. Participants will take part in a two day worksession to collectively research energy crafting for a regenerative present! We will collectively and practically work on the practices of growing and community energy creation, alongside creating new solidarities for organising instituting practices - bring your proposals for crafting new energy kinships! During the two days participants will be introduced to crafting solar cells, including extracting natural dye from plants, etching on conductive glass and assembling small-scale solar cells. Dye and pigments are essential in textiles and painting, and also for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). DSSCs are a type of cell that mimics plant’s photosynthesis. Different colors of DSSC can be made using different dyes extracted from the local environment. In this process more toxic chemical elements found in common solar panels are replaced with those of plant-based dyes and organic polymers to make a gel that forms an electrolyte layer. From raspberries to wode, from scavenged sunscreen to blueberries, we will grow our own solar cells; an energy crafting for a regenerative present!

Mindmap workshop by Femke Snelting and Martino Morandi

On the first day, we will start with a collective moment lead by Femke Snelting and Martino Morandi – our friends from The Institute of Technology in the Public Interest– who will lead us in diagramming how energy crafting practices such as these might institute community infrastructures for forms of togetherness. 施 惟 捷 Shih Wei Chieh will then introduce their multiple practices with solar crafting and community energy experiments. Participants will then be guided through the processes of extracting natural dye from plants, etching on conductive glass and assembling small scale solar cells. A day of super friendly discussions and energy craftings with super critical solar layers, plants, agrivoltaics and worms!

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Shih Wei Chieh Artist talk

Tashi Gatsen greenhouse project & Tribe Against Machine exhibition booklet

• Wiriya Rattanasuwan online presentation in AIA
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DSSC Workshop by Maya Minder and Shih Wei Chieh

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Wiriya Rattanasuwa online presentation of Tashi Gatsen Charity School in Quinhai, Yushu

• Wiriya Rattanasuwan online presentation in AIA
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