The BIX Light and Media Façade consumes as much energy per year as an average detached house. During the exhibition period, however, it will only light up at night if enough solar energy has been generated during the day. The media artist’s concept envisages that the energy needed to power the Kunsthaus façade will be generated using a photovoltaic system on the roof of the Needle. In this way, nature determines whether and for how long the BIX is illuminated at night. This approach is Sönmez’s reaction to the demands of climate change mitigation and the necessary reductions in how much energy we consume. In a wider sense, the project is a critical statement about how we take night-time lighting in urban spaces for granted. The monitor in the exhibition, which is roughly the size of a photovoltaic panel, and the light façade show how much elec-tricity is generated during the day and for how long it can light up the BIX.
Sunscriber, 2020
Onur Sönmez
Funded by: Energie Graz
Kindly supported by Pichler Werke and Fronius
