Emergy

[rebeccmeister]

This week, there's an exhibit in an art gallery on campus that's a convergence of many of my interests. The centerpiece of the show is a rowing machine that's hooked up to a generator. The rowing machine is housed inside of a wooden boat, and some of the components of the machine are converted bicycle parts (the rear hub and chain being the most obvious). The generator powers some of the lights in the exhibit--the walls are adorned with a series of backlit photographs of Phoenix and its surroundings. Photographs of sections of the Salt River can only be seen if someone is rowing on the rowing machine.

I've signed up to help power the exhibit every day this week for half an hour each day. Today was my first time seeing the show and rowing, and it has gotten me thinking about building myself a similar contraption and then figuring out if I can use it to add electricity back to the grid, much as people with solar systems do.

Being a part of the show was pretty interesting--as people wandered in, I'd have to keep rowing, lest the lights would dim and they wouldn't be able to see the photographs of the water. Then there was the question of whether or how I'd interact with folks coming through; I almost apologetically explained to several that I was just a volunteer, and perhaps it was a bit odd that I kept rowing after they'd left and I was in the gallery alone (but really, that's no less odd than the hours I've spent erging in a stuffy gym hallway in Boston--at least here I could watch the lights brighten and dim). I really liked how the artist decided to wire the lighting, and the sounds and feel of the generator were interesting. Since water is sporadic in the desert, it makes sense that the photographs of the river were dependent on my sporadic movement. As the artist herself said, people in Phoenix take it for granted that resources are steadily available, which is why her photographs of the city itself are continuously powered from outside sources (suddenly, I feel guilty for wantonly using the electricity not generated by myself).

Yes. An interesting intersection of ideas. I wish this artist all the best.

Comments

[boolean263.livejournal.com]

That sounds really fascinating! And it's right up your alley, too, from the sound of it. Very spiffy, I wish I could come see it myself. A really novel idea.

[earthlingmike.livejournal.com]

How many watts is typical for a rower to produce? I think I read Lance Armstrong exerts about 100 watts per hour on the bike.