DANM250 Class Page /projects /isea 2006 /abstract

The Art of Alternative Energy

Panel to discuss alternative energy projects with artists, industry experts, and users of alternative energy.

Contact

Elliot Anderson
Assistant Professor of Art, Electronic Media
ewanders(at)ucsc(dot)edu

Abstract

The purpose of the panel is to bring together a group of creative thinkers that includes artists, experts in the field of alternative energy, and end users. My goal in bringing these individuals together is to create dialog about creative alternative solutions to community energy needs. The subject of this conversation is the dire need for other energy sources that do not pollute, are renewable, and lessen international competition for resources.

Description

The world faces an unprecedented crisis in energy production, global warming effects of hydrocarbon emissions, and shrinking non-renewable energy resources. This crisis has brought about destruction of species and habitats, international conflict, economic instability, and population displacement. These issues will worsen as global warming increases and fossil fuel supplies decline. There exist viable technologies and solutions to the current and pending energy and environmental crisis. This panel seeks to create a dialog around innovative solutions that would include the work of electronic artists and other creative thinkers. Prior to the event individuals participating will be asked to submit questions and topics based on their research for discussion. During the event the moderator will pose these items to the group.

The panel will examine solutions and ideas for large-scale energy production with the focus on possibilities of scaling production to the level of the local community and the individual. The discussion may include transportation issues, but will primarily focus on the production and distribution of electrical power. Individuals participating in this dialog will include artists, technologists, alternative energy users, individuals from the alternative energy industry, designers and architects, computer-networking experts, and sociologists.

The panel's discussion will focus on ways communities and individuals can address the following questions:

• How can artists and technologists work together to develop and promote alternative energy methodologies, concepts, uses, and implementation?
• Zoning laws stipulate aesthetic criteria for construction within a community. Can artists, architects, contractors, et al. participate in developing aesthetically appropriate alternative energy construction that maintains the aesthetic desires and integrity of a community?
• Can artists work as activists creating awareness of the crisis of energy consumption and possible solutions?
• In what ways can artists through activism bring together individuals interested in possibilities for rethinking energy consumption and production? Are there ways in which artists can facilitate dialog between governmental agencies, local citizens, designers, engineers, and industry?
• Can artists work to facilitate and help implement social strategies and education for the use, design and implementation of alternative energy projects?
• Electronic artists are consumers of energy as part of their practice. How can artists examine their use of energy resources toward conceptualizing alternative energies in the production and presentation of their work?
• Can artists work with industry, designers, and researchers to develop research projects to promote and develop alternative energy?
• What is the current state of renewable energy production technologies?
• Can production of energy be localized to communities of producer/users, such as networking together homes that produce excess energy that can be shared by others?
• In what ways can communities structure, develop, and converse about local energy producing resources?
• It is possible that movement toward a more sustainable energy environment will be incremental – slowly offsetting the use of fossil fuels. What kind of strategies and processes are possible for a substantial switch over to alternative and renewable energy in the near future? What would be a reasonable timeline for implementation?

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