Around the end of the 80s all sorts of green technology talk was flying around in Britain, since then we've filled the sea with giant wind turbines and used up precious agricultural land for a lacklustre solar source of energy. I was an obnoxious kid back then, in many ways I still am, but I did have a habit of asking awkward questions that usually forced parents and teachers to concede with a nonchalant shrug before raising a pair of open palms to the air. I had a habit of testing the intelligence of my elders and self-proclaimed betters, because most people just don't have the answers. I had one, but being a 12 year old boy from a broke ass family I wasn't very likely I'd get anywhere with it, besides, Dragon's Den hadn't even been invented yet.
So here was my big idea, power all gyms, health clubs and the like through the use of kinetic energy. Back then there was a massive rise in British keep fit fans, most likely drawn in by the delights of Olivia Newton John's hit 'Physical". If their exercise machines were attached to simple bicycle dynamos and everything hooked up to the mains, wouldn't that do it? It didn't seem so complicated to me, although I'm sure I was a damn sight brighter back then, even now it doesn't sound so far fetched. In fact it's been taken up by a few gyms around the world in recent times, which goes to prove you should never listen to your parents or teachers… lol.
So what's with all the green technology talk Paul? I thought this was a bloody art blog? Perhaps I'm wandering a little far from my remit here, but I can't help admire the perfect union of imagination, design, social progression and protecting the environment. It's almost where art, design, technology and science begin to blur into each other, sometimes it's messy, but sometimes, just sometimes it's absolutely supreme…
The Sustainable Dance Club in Rotterdam generates it's own power from the kinetic energy of 100s of clubbers, (the heavier footed the better), who's every step towards gaining some sense of rhythm whilst under the influence and if their very lucky, the attentions of the opposite sex, help to save the environment. The dancefloor was designed and created by the amazingly forward thinking Studio Roosegaarde who specialise in interactive artworks and environments.
"Studio Roosegaarde is the home of artist Daan Roosegaarde and his team of designers and engineers. By creating interactive artworks that instinctively respond to sound and movement, artist and architect Daan Roosegaarde explores the dawn of a new nature that is evolving from technological innovations. Recent artworks have been the focus of exhibitions at the Tate Modern, the National Museum in Tokyo, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Studio Roosegaarde also has a strong focus on public artworks, including special commissions for the City of Rotterdam and the Youth Therapy Center GGz in Breda, NL."
SDC have since expanded into the USA – starting off with a project for a client in LA, they plan to travel to different cities on the West Coast to showcase the Sustainable Dance Floor. Now that sounds like fun, so when's the next ferry to Rotterdam mate?
