Het Nieuwe Instituut brings solar design to Salone del Mobile 2022 Het Nieuwe Instituut brings solar design to Salone del Mobile 2022

At the prestigious Milan design fair Salone del Mobile 2022, Het Nieuwe Instituut presents The Solar Energy Kiosk, a solar-powered installation developed by Rotterdam-based design studio Cream on Chrome. The Solar Energy Kiosk is part of Alcova's international group presentation open from 5 to 12 June 2022. After its appearance in Milan, the kiosk will travel to Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, where it will form part of the exhibition The Energy Show - Sun, Solar and Human Power, curated by Matylda Krzykowski.

The Solar Energy Kiosk is a preview and the first commissioned exhibit of the exhibition The Energy Show at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam from 3 September 2022 to 5 March 2023. Both the exhibition and the kiosk pose the question: what would the world look like if it ran on solar energy? Social designers Jonas Althaus and Martina Huynh of Cream on Chrome respond by showing how much solar energy it takes to squeeze out one glass of orange juice at The Solar Energy Kiosk. Interaction is often at the heart of Cream on Chrome's work, engaging people on pressing issues and exploring new perspectives on economics, ecology and emerging technologies. The kiosk therefore invites a conversation on the possibilities and limitations of solar design.

The Solar Energy Kiosk has multiple functions. As well as being a conversation starter, it also acts as a drop-off point for objects, drawings, photographs and ideas about solar energy, collected through an open call. Curator Matylda Krzykowski and Het Nieuwe Instituut invite visitors, practitioners and other interested parties to share their own initiatives on solar energy, a selection of which will be included in The Energy Show. During the launch of the kiosk in Milan, the first solar ideas by designers Jörg Boner and Michael Jantzen, the Solarpunk Lab and design studio Takram will be presented

The Energy Show - Sun, Solar and Human Power curated by Matylda Krzykowski is a survey exhibition at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam from 3 September 2022 to 5 March 2023. It centres on the sun and its design possibilities, reflecting on visitors' personal energy levels and featuring innovative examples of solar technology, asking: what would the world look like if it ran on solar energy? The exhibition presents projects by artists, designers and researchers from all over the world, from groundbreaking inventions by solar queen Mária Telkes to the experimental designs of Michael Jantzen, and from solar-integrated architecture by Jessenvollenweider to the creative ideas of movements such as Solar Power for Artists and Solar Mamas. The Energy Show also includes work by solar designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, art director Mirka Laura Severa, and storyteller Alice Wong.

The Energy Show is part of the first edition of The Solar Biennale, for which Het Nieuwe Instituut is the partner and main venue. Initiated by designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen, the biennial critically reflects on the use of solar energy and the prevailing technological and economic perspectives surrounding its use. For six weeks, it focuses on a solar-powered world beyond scientific research and uniform solar panels, integrating cultural practices and location-based energy needs to help shape a post-fossil fuel future. In September and October 2022, The Solar Biennale will present a variety of programmes inviting designers, scientists, solar industry practitioners and policymakers to formulate answers and exchange ideas. The programme will open at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam and conclude at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven in October.

Het Nieuwe Instituut is the Dutch national museum and institute for architecture, design and digital culture, based in Rotterdam. Through its exhibitions, public programmes, research, and wide-reaching national and international initiatives, the institute engages thinkers, designers, makers and diverse audiences to critically reflect on the urgent issues confronting the past, present and future. In addition to housing the National Collection for Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning, the institute also manages the 1933 Sonneveld House as part of its campus in Rotterdam's Museumpark.

This year Alcova will come back to life with a new and expanded program of exhibitions, events, talks, site-specific installations and performances. Having welcomed over 60.000 visitors to the September 2021 special Supersalone edition, Alcova will return to the spectacular urban park of the Centro Ospedaliero Militare di Milano, an extraordinary site of great historic importance for the city of Milan, activating a new section of the complex never before accessible to the public. With an indoor and outdoor exhibition area of over 20 hectares, the 2022 exhibition will be the most comprehensive and ambitious edition of Alcova yet. As with previous editions, Alcova 2022 will present a comprehensive and inspiring cross-section of the rapidly evolving world of design. The exhibitions presented will alternate works from established international figures with a selection of emerging talents, exploring new and exciting developments in the fields of technology, materials, sustainable production, social practice and many other branches of design.

The Solar Energy Kiosk is located at the outdoor site of Alcova, space code A10, Via Simone Saint Bon 1 in Milan. The installation is on display at Alcova from 5 to 12 June 2022 from 11 am - 7 pm (except on Thursday 9 June the kiosk closes at 4 pm).

For more information please contact Elske Schreurs, communications, at e.schreurs@hetnieuweinstituut.nl or on +31 (0)6 41188963.