Launched in 2022 in the Netherlands by designers Pauline van Dongen and Marjan van Aubel, the Solar Biennale proposes an international platform to explore the challenges of solar energy and the perspectives it brings for the future. This second edition gathers designers, curators, activists, and researchers on different sites, with the exhibitions “SOLEIL·S” at Mudac Lausanne as well as “Sun Shines on Architecture” at Archizoom and two projects from the Enter the Hyper Scientific programme showcased at the Pavilions, on the EPFL campus.
At Mudac Lausanne, the documented sun rituals of the early 20th century Alpine Sanatorium and the insights on the lifestyle of the Monte Verita’s community triggers the first reflections on the role of the sun – and in a broader scale, the role of nature – in our health habits throughout history. With immersive installations like The Abysses of the Scorching Sun by Nicky Assmann, and innovative works such as the Solar Reflectors by Nathanaël Abeille, the self-powering solar light Sunne by Marjan van Aubel or the Suntex solar-powered textile by Pauline van Dongen, the exhibition invites us to imagine a brighter and more eco-responsible future, in constant evolution.
The exhibition “SOLEIL·S” opens the dialogue between disciplines – art, design and science – in order to push the boundaries of the possible and reveal the power of the sun in unexpected ways.
Geraldine Morand
Cynthia Ammann