The Solar Biënnale unites citizens, designers, artists, architects, scientists, entrepreneurs and policy makers to develop ideas and ways to collaborate on Solar Design, thereby shaping new relationships between humans and the sun. The Solar Biënnale contributes to this mission with the following objectives:

1. Presentation and imagination; for the general public and professionals
Through its central exhibition and other public programs The Solar Biënnale presents relevant and inspiring examples and developments in the Solar Design field and imagines the associated future to both professionals and a wide audience of climate-conscious interested parties. We take people along through all the possibilities that solar technology offers, so that everyone becomes empowered to fantasize about a future designed with the power of the sun.

2. Connecting and sharing knowledge; for professionals
We connect professionals and promote crossovers between the disciplines that can realize the potential of solar energy together. In this way, The Solar Biënnale promotes knowledge sharing, for example by organizing a Solar Seminar and a podcast series, and ensures that The Solar Movement is the driving force behind an ever-expanding solar network.

3. Accelerate knowledge development; for professionals
We give Solar Design a central place in (inter)national design practices and learning environments. We are focusing on knowledge development and education, making room for experimentation and looking for the solar designers of tomorrow. The Solar Labs during The Solar Biënnale and the Solar Design Challenge contribute to this ambition.

^{Why we’re here}
The Solar Biënnale is an initiative of The Solar Movement, which was founded in 2020 by Dutch solar designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen. Both designers felt united by their shared vision of a future that integrates solar technology into a variety of surfaces, materials and objects, thereby making it a natural, meaningful and aesthetic part of our everyday living environment. And to do so, they realized, people from different disciplines need to exchange more and work together. Moreover, the one-sided technological and economic perspective of solar energy, which mainly talks about efficiency and payback times, needs to be broadened. The Solar Movement was created to tell stories that build on the power of design and interdisciplinary making to explain the cultural value of solar energy, to inspire new relationships with the sun and to present a diverse range of possible solar futures.

^{What we do}
The worlds’ first Solar Biënnale will take place in the Netherlands from September to October 2022, with the city of Rotterdam as the main location. The Solar Biënnale explores new solar futures built on the power of design. The central question of this first edition is: “How can we design a post-fossil future using the power of the sun.” Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam will host the central exhibition of The Solar Biënnale, which will be curated by Matylda Krzykowski. In addition, programs and activities will also take place in other cities such as Eindhoven, Maastricht and Amsterdam. The closing week of The Solar Biënnale is during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven.

^{Who we are}
The management of The Solar Biënnale is led by Pauline van Dongen and Marjan van Aubel. The board of The Solar Biënnale foundation consists of the following unpaid members: Pallas Agterberg (chair) Maurits Groen (secretary and ambassador) Lynn Zebeda (international collaboration, financial control)

^{Further information}
Projectplan

About Program Partners Contact

The Solar Biënnale