A renewable energy sculpture is a sculpture that produces power from renewable sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal, etc.

Such a sculpture is functionally both a renewable energy generator and an artwork, fulfilling utilitarian, aesthetic, and cultural functions. The idea of renewable energy sculptures have been pioneered by ecofuturist visionaries such as artists Sarah Hall, Julian H. Scaff, Patrick Marold, architects Lauri Chetwood and Nicholas Grimshaw, and University of Illinois professor Bil Becket. Echoing the philosophy of the environmental art movement as a whole, the visionaries working in renewable energy sculpture believe that the aesthetics of the artworks are inextricably linked to their ecological function.

Artists

Artist Sarah Hall is a glass artist who has recently been embedding solar photovoltaics in her artworks. The solar cells are an integrated part of the artworks, and the energy generated by them can be used for lighting or other purposes. Hall believes that "Incorporating colour, light and art with solar energy inspires us to think about our future in a new context.

Artist and filmmaker Julian H. Scaff has been working for several years with creating wind turbines that are also public artworks. In 2006 he proposed turning a planned wind farm in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts into an enormous public artwork by dazzle painting the wind turbines and transforming the visual quality of both the machines and the landscape. His visionary Venturi Towers designed for the island of Crete incorporate the scientific principle of the Venturi Effect into sculpted towers that, in spite of their considerable size, blend seamlessly into the landscape. Scaff says that "We should think more freely about the aesthetics of wind turbines. Scaff's proposed Carbon Sink Sculptures are public artworks that utilize solar energy for carbon capture and storage.

Patrick Marold's Windmill Project in Vail, Colorado developed out of the artist's desire to create a visual map of the wind as well as to harness it's behavior. On the slopes of the Rocky Mountains he installed hundreds of small windmills, each with a light whose intensity matches the intensity of the wind. Marold explains "This sculpture momentarily embraces the wind allowing for a more attainable vision of this natural element, systematically creating a slight delay in the viewers’ sense of time. Some people have compared the visual representation to that of a flock of birds collectively swarming in the sky, or the uniquely animate northern lights. The impressive living body of light provokes a deeper perspective of the wind as it passes by.

Architects

Architect Laurie Chetwood created a 10.5 meter tall (35 foot) tree-like structure on Clerkenwell Green in London that is called the London Oasis. Also deemed a kinetic sculpture it is powered by solar cells, a hydrogen fuel cell, and wind energy. Interacting with the environment around it, the London Oasis provides shade, light, and energy. In addition, it offers what Chetwood calls "People Pods" which people can pull down over the heads. The pods block out noise, provide clean filtered air, and play music and birdsongs.

Architect Nicholas Grimshaw, designer of the Eden Project, has designed an enormous sea-based wind turbine sculpture called the Grimshaw Aerogenerator The double-masted structure rotates very slowly compared to typical wind turbines, only three times per minute, yet generates up to nine megawatts of power.

Other Visionaries

University of Illinois professor Bil Becker believes that the answer to wind energy is in small micro-turbines that can be installed on houses and buildings. His company Aerotecture creates spinning sculptures that produce electricity without noise, vibration, or a threat to birds.

References

Further reading

• The Art Gallery of Renewable Energy, http://www.lope.ca/artrenewable/index.html
• Kastner, Jeffrey, Land and Environmental Art, Phaidon, copyright 2005
• Grande, John K., Art Nature Dialogues: Interviews with Environmental Artists, State University of New York Press, copyright 2004
• Strewlow, Heike, Ecological Aesthetics: Art in Environmental Design: Theory and Practice, Birhäuser Basel, copyright 2004