This second presentation constituted the start of a series of investigations regarding the energy-situation and -politics of the member states of the European Union; in this case focussing on the Netherlands.
The Dutch project also ment that the piece took a a first step out of the exhibition space through a close collaboration with Utrecht Center For Energy Research, students from Windesheim Technical School and the fitness club De Workout. To of the spinning bikes at the fitness club were equipped with devices allowing them to charge 12-volt batteries during the spinning-classes at the facility, which turned out to have an astonishingly efficient result. The batteries were exchanged daily and transported to Casco, where they were used to run a computer presenting information regarding energy politics in the Netherlands. (An exception was made during the opening night, when we chose to show the film Pumping Iron, featuring Arnold Schwartzenegger instead.)
As a further link to the fitness club, visitors were offered special prices on introductory lessons in spinning at De Workout.
The exhibition space also contained an exercise bike, where visitors could activate a ramp of LED-lamps, illuminating a statement on the back wall of the room, regarding the total amount of energy that could potentially be produced at the fitness centers of the European Union. Research material on the background, status and future perspective on the Dutch energy-situation –compared to EU as a whole as well as the global situation– was displayed on a series of charts on the wall.
The project was concluded by a seminar on alternative economies and art practices. Among the participants were Lise Skov (Denmark) from SWOP Network and Dominic Hislop (Scotland/Germany) & Elske Rosenfeldt (Germany) from Big Hope.
The Power & Illumination Project – In The European Union / The Netherlands took place at Casco – Office for Art, Design and Theory and at the fitness club De Workout in Utrecht.
