La Pile Mécanique: concept for a functional work of art as an invitation to the Midi neighbourhood (look back)
After the La Pile Exhibition and Workshops, time had come to do something tangible. (Cable) neighbours, engineers and designers imagined a work of art that could make renewable energy visible as well as (re)usable: La Pile Mécanique. A watercolour illustration of the device served as an icebreaker for conversations in the neighbourhood. It represents a battery that stores unused solar energy by pumping water upwards and makes it available again by opening a tap that allows the water to run down via a turbine.
Attempts to actually build this concept brought together about twenty local residents and neighbourhood workers to discuss local dreams and needs, but also to talk about the sense of energy projects. To find the perfect location for the battery, local social dynamics, buildings and public spaces were mapped out. But other questions were also dealt with, such as: where is local and clean energy already being generated?; Can we share this energy among neighbours? …
The group made calculations and designs, exhibited them and discussed them with a wider audience. A suitable building was identified, but as yet, La Pile Mécanique has not been built. Because at that very moment, the regional legal framework opened a door to pilot projects in energy sharing, the groups attention shifted towards that. This in turn gave rise to the project SunSud and Pilone.
Read the whole story (full activity report) in Dutch here
