A new piece of furniture that generates energy for the city
The series of electrical installations was launched in March 2012, and was denominated Bicyclopes, which is a participatory project in which the users have the opportunity to be involved in the process of taking decisions and, in some cases, in the construction process. This is what makes every “bicyclope” different and unique.
The opportunity to design one’s own living space reinforces the motivation of each person to maintain and take ownership of this space. Furthermore, we believe that the identification and engagement of citizens with their environment comes from their active participation in the decision-making process. For this reason, this project goes far beyond the desire to beautify the streets with an electricity-generating installation. Rather, it is intended that the residents themselves design a prototype within a given framework, participate in part of the construction and use the resulting product for their own pleasure or everyday life. The pupils also have to decide what the generated energy is used for: for example, the lights of a signalling system can be switched on, music can be played, a USB socket can be activated, and so on.
In addition, playful values such as self-generated energy and the energy needed to generate it must also be at the heart of the entire process. From this point of view, our proposal goes beyond producing an electricity-generating facility. We offer a whole system for the school based on participation, collaboration, mutual learning, environmental protection and responsibility. Thus, the bicyclopes work on different levels:
– On the physical level. At the end of the process, an electricity-generating facility for the city is created.
– On the social level. The project is based on a win-win relationship or horizontal collaboration between our professional team and the users, in which each participant can learn by sharing experiences and creating. The project should initiate a “mutual learning process.”
– On the theoretical level. With Bicyclopes we want to start an open and broader debate on the use and design of public spaces. We want to make theories of participation available to the inhabitants in order to raise awareness of the relevant role of citizens in public discourse.
Bicyclopes has been present in Berlin, Germany (Programm Soziale Stadt (2012-2014) and Kultur macht stark (2015)) and in Örebro, Sweden (OpenArt (2013)), serving as a reference for a more playful and collaborative way of making cities.
