Promoting Energy Awareness through Interventions in Public Space

Abstract

‘Free Energy’ consists of a series of conceptual design examples exploring how to work with energy as a design material by making it more apparent in the use of things and by making choices more explicit to users in public space. The Energy Tap is first in the series of design examples to be completed and placed within local environments, in order to explore methods for participatory and public involvement as well as examine how such objects might stimulate reflection. As design examples, our ‘tests’ have been crafted as a participatory and reflective forum, as a means for people to try out and experience alternative choices in existing situations and for generating new ideas with possible users. In ‘Free Energy’ our objective is not to offer a solution to the problem of energy over-consumption, but to explore design as a means of promoting increased awareness and to provoke responses and discussion.