Translating the Grid – From Electrical Data to Creative Experience
Mindaugas Gapševičius, Felix Bonowski, Alessandro Volpato, partners from Lumina project
- June 17 and 18, 10:00-16:00
- M7b, Room 201
During this class, we will explore how data from the electrical grid — particularly renewable energy flows — can be translated into tangible, visual, and interactive experiences.
At the center of the project is the Lumina device. The device functions as a real-time monitor of energy availability within a Renewable Energy Community. Using light as its primary medium, it communicates the presence and intensity of available energy: from white (no energy availability) to deep green (high renewable energy availability).
Beyond passive display, the device invites interaction. Users can actively indicate when they are consuming energy, contributing to a shared layer of awareness within the community. In this way, Lumina becomes not just an information interface, but a tool for collective engagement and behavioral reflection.
The class is structured in two parts:
- A collaborative workshop, developed together with partners from the Lumina project, focusing on experimentation, data translation strategies, and interface prototyping.
- Individual project development, where participants expand on insights from the workshop and formulate their own concept or project proposal.
The outcome may take technical, artistic, or hybrid forms, grounded in the exploration of how energy data can shape experience, interaction, and design.
The successful completion of the course is the attendance of the seminar and the documented work on GMU wiki. The documentation may contain text, video, images, sketches, sound, and other digital formats.