Solar Power for Artists: learn about solar powered sound art, kinetic sculpture, design methods, and more!

This four-part workshop series includes solar power art design methods, solar power sound art, and solar powered kinetic art. Participants will build small solar art projects they can take with them. We will discuss the history of artists working in the field, common conceptual approaches, and a number of technical methods. No prior experience with solar power or electronics is necessary. Please note that these workshops are for adults.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 26

Workshop #1

10am -1pm: Solar Power Art Methods

This workshop will introduce participants to the fundamentals of solar power design. A framework for conceptualizing and creating solar power art and education projects will be introduced. The framework will be introduced to participations through a series of small hands on experiments and projects.

Workshop #2

2 – 5pm: Solar Power Sound Workshop

This workshop will introduce participants to a range of techniques for creating solar powered sound making devices that can be applied to instruments, installations, performances, and more. We will discuss the history of the field, common conceptual approaches, and a number of technical methods. All participants will build their own solar powered instrument in the workshop.

Three techniques for building instruments will be demonstrated:

• Direct drive acoustic instruments
• Solar powered analog synthesis
• Sonifying light frequencies

Sunday July 27

Workshop #3

10am -1pm: Solar Power Kinetic Art Workshop: Bots, Drawing Machines, & Kinetic Sculptures

This workshop will introduce participants to a range of techniques for creating small solar powered robotic devices that can be applied to making sculptures, draw bots, percusion instruments, and more. We will discuss the history of artists working in the field, common conceptual approaches, and a number of technical methods. All participants will build their own solar powered mechanical creature or device.

Workshop #4

2pm – 5pm: Solar Art Tutorial User-Testing

Participants will be shown new projects from the upcoming Solar Power for Artists book to user-test. They will be given the choice of a number of different projects to experiment with. This workshop will build on the techniques and concepts from introduced in previous workshops. All participants will build a project they can take with them. Participants will get the most out of this workshop if they have already attended at least 1 of our other workshops.

Workshop Leader
Alex Nathanson is a designer, multimedia artist, technologist, and educator who has been working with solar power for a decade. His work is primarily focused on exploring both the experimental and practical applications of sustainable energy technologies, particularly photovoltaic solar power. He is the author of the book A History of Solar Power Art and Design and leads the education platform Solar Power for Artists as well as the design studio Energy Transition Design LLC.

Workshop Fees
Register here. Discounts are automatically applied if enrolling in multiple workshops: 15% off for 2, 20% off for 3, and 25% off for 4. Additional need-based / sliding scale discounted admission is available by request. Email alex[at]energytransitiondesign[dot]com to request need-based discounted admission.