How do the polar bears benefit from me flipping my light switch?
- Fine Art
- Design
Rosalie Apituley developed a renewing view on design during her time at the bachelor course Product Design in Arnhem. For her graduation, she researched ways to visualise our energy consumption.
As a child, my parents told me to turn off the light whenever I left a room, because I should think of the polar bears. However, it always remained rather unclear how the polar bears at the North Pole would actually benefit from me flipping my light switch. That memory led me to research energy and our infrastructure, which are so invisible, during my studies." In the video below, Rosalie talks about one of her objects: a striking electrical box on which you can see exactly what is consumed per household:
"I wanted to be out in the world, doing and creating something, having an active role."
"We used to put a coin in a gas meter and know exactly how much energy we got in return. Or we cut down a tree and were aware of how much wood we used for the heat we got. That doesn't happen now, because technology is becoming more and more complex. I’d like to make our energy consumption clear and visible again with my designs."
"The course taught me to be open to other things. Durable materials are not always the solution; you can also dig deeper for a system."
Future plans
During the finals, I could really see how my work landed. It was nice to see that there was so much enthusiasm and interest from the audience. I got the chance to present my work at GLUE Amsterdam, from 15-17 September. Design Platform Arnhem invited me to present my work on October 14-15. They passed the ball to someone who works at Alliander, who were really enthusiastic about the way I work and said, "These are things I've been thinking about for years". They wanted to give me a stage within the company, to see if we could develop the work further.
"My dream is to see where this project could best express itself. The objects are so diverse that they could be sort of playful works of art, or just a series of functional products."
Product Design
The bachelor course Product Design challenges you to combine your design ambition with an experimental and global view.
More Rosalie
- Website Uit de Meterkast
