[{"content":{"label":"The solar manifesto","text_size":"large","text":"

We believe solar is the most natural and humane source of energy. It\u2019s the answer to the smaller question (How to power our life?) and the Big one (How to live it?). As designers, those are the exact questions we pore over every day. How to rhyme the purely practical with societal issues. How to make things and make them meaningful.<\/p>

Well. With solar.<\/p>

While the sun was always right there\u2014a source of power and beauty\u2014we waited until the fossil fuels were finally finished to turn to her. Well, now, it\u2019s her turn.\u00a0<\/p>

However, you can\u2019t simply plug the sun into the socket. In come the designers. We who make things and make them better, shape the future. A solar future, which we pledge to make the default option.\u00a0<\/p>

This world has questions.\u00a0
We should desire and design new answers.\u00a0
Always sunny side up.<\/p>

<\/p>

The Solar Movement is an initiative from Solar Designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen.<\/p>"},"id":"571aad87-9b2e-4efe-84df-635dd4c8998c","isHidden":false,"type":"text"},{"content":{"label":"The solar principles","principles":[{"label":"Sharing is caring","principle":"

Design-tech collaboration is key<\/em><\/p>

Solar designers are collaborators at heart. Our job is an eternal balancing of creativity and technical insight. So let\u2019s pool resources and minds and combine the needs of the planet with the needs of its inhabitants. To create decent solar design, working together will get us there faster and better.<\/p>"},{"label":"Bottoms up","principle":"

Solar design is contextual<\/em><\/p>

When working with solar energy, take into account the local parameters. Local weather conditions, social practices and needs of specific communities and cultures all influence the outcome. To make solar design work, we should build the technology on local knowledge, materials and techniques. Bottom-up, harnessing the knowledge that\u2019s already there.<\/p>"},{"label":"Pretty pleases ","principle":"

Expanding the material aesthetics of solar energy<\/em><\/p>

Part of our job as solar designers is to find new ways to wrap it in. Let\u2019s make the technology colorful, soft, cuddly, pliable, invisible, modular, full of playful patterns. By proposing new ways to integrate the technology with materials, we have the power to make solar energy more user-friendly, understandable and approachable. In other words, more likeable.<\/p>"},{"label":"It works both ways","principle":"

Turning consumers of commodities into prosumers<\/em><\/p>

The energy system is not something that exists outside of us. With solar, everyone is part of it. Consumers harvest sun rays and put them to use straight away. So with every design we put into the world, we have a chance to turn consumers into prosumers. A chance we should take.\u00a0<\/p>"},{"label":"Power to the objects","principle":"

Solar design for energy-sensitive interactions<\/em><\/p>

With solar design, there\u2019s the potential to add energy to just about any material, surface, or object. This possibility comes with a responsibility. Make every object or building you design able to harvest its own energy. Where solar leads, form and function follow.\u00a0<\/p>"},{"label":"All them feels","principle":"

Solar design follows a holistic approach<\/em><\/p>

Solar technology is typically assessed using quantified data such as efficiency, or pay-back period. Let\u2019s not forget it also brings about joy, playfulness, empowerment, togetherness, comfort, and a feeling of self-sufficiency. The impact of solar design must be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively.<\/p>"},{"label":"Sun solutions","principle":"

Sustainable material & strategies<\/em><\/p>

Today, solar technology is not circular. It\u2019s our responsibility to make solar design just as sustainable and renewable as solar energy itself. Let\u2019s choose our methods and materials wisely and be critical of the materials we use to harness the sun\u2019s power. Clearly, finite sources like lithium offer no solace. Make sure your sun solutions don\u2019t generate new problems.<\/p>"},{"label":"Sun-centric","principle":"

A global solar future<\/em><\/p>

Solar technology that has been developed in western, industrialized countries is too singular. We must actively make space for ideas and developments from non-western and non-affluent countries. <\/em>Solar designers should be wary of determinism arising from their own cultural backgrounds and create an inclusive discourse. Solar design must be collectively shaped and all voices must be heard if it\u2019s a just solar future we desire.\u00a0<\/p>"}]},"id":"ed0f274a-2899-4f14-be81-3046d214d187","isHidden":false,"type":"principles"},{"content":{"label":"Join The Solar Movement!","text":"

By adding your name to the list or by signing anonymously, you acknowledge the urgency of solar design and the responsibilities that designers have. You commit to incorporating these principles as much as possible in your design practice or you stimulate solar design in your own field.\u00a0Your e-mail address will not be used for any purpose other than to keep you informed of the progress of the movement, you can unsubscribe at any time.\u00a0The Solar Movement is the driving force behind The Solar Biennale\u00a0and will continue to look for additional ways to spread its message.\u00a0We appreciate your support in shifting the perspective of solar energy into a meaningful and integrated part of everyone's livelihood.<\/p>"},"id":"d35b6368-2b71-41ca-adbb-201a79d23131","isHidden":false,"type":"sign_up"},{"content":{"label":"Downloads","downloads":[{"label":"A2 Poster","file":["tsm_a2_final.pdf"]},{"label":"A4 Poster","file":["tsm_a4_print.pdf"]},{"label":"Principles for Instagram","file":["tsm_solar-principles_ig.zip"]},{"label":"A6 pay-it-forward postcard","file":["tsm_a6_print-2.pdf"]}]},"id":"c7e7a5ca-a0cd-4d83-8911-5c015121eef0","isHidden":false,"type":"downloads"},{"content":{"label":"Contact & Colophon","text_size":"default","text":"

\u00a9 The Solar Movement was launched during the first Solar Biennale<\/a>, October 2022<\/p>

Project: Joke Hoeven
Graphic design: Ines Cox
Website development: Bram van den Berg<\/p>

The Solar Movement is an initiative from Solar Designers Marjan van Aubel and Pauline van Dongen. The Solar Manifesto in collaboration with Annelies Desmet & Jill Mathieu (Good Copy Ink<\/a>)<\/p>"},"id":"b49e34ec-4caf-4396-93c1-8a83e93446b7","isHidden":false,"type":"text"}]