Solar Artworks
We are All Connected
In September 2024 we showcased our new solar artwork We are All Connected.
We were commissioned by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to create an artwork to celebrate the launch of the region’s new energy strategy which over 100 organisations have been involved in co-creating.
The artwork we designed is solar powered – a reclaimed panel etched with poetic words derived from our conversations which cable across the surface provides power to a battery.
A ply frame depicts people, those working on developing our energy systems and energetic symbols and shapes which are illuminated by neon arcs the rise above the panel and a string of LEDs which are triggered by interaction with the artwork.
Viewers are invited to place their hands on copper plates on the frame and when they join hands, it triggers an Arduino controller creating a light display.
In essence, the artwork says ‘When we work together, we create illumination’.
We are All Connected is available to hire for your events, conferences and exhibitions.
Please get in touch to discuss your requirements and our costs - hello@artandenergy.org
Sunlight Gathering
“We gather sunlight, and in doing so, we gather hope.”
This artwork was commissioned by Plymouth Energy Community and co-created with members of the local community.
At the heart of Sunlight Gathering is an etched solar panel artwork adorned with the image of a dandelion in bloom and seed. This humble, radiant plant — a pioneer species that brightens pavements and meadows alike — stands as a symbol of resilience and active hope. Like the sun it resembles, the dandelion gives freely, sustaining life and inviting new beginnings.
From this living emblem of light and renewal, rays extend outward — delicate paths of LED circles and embossed metal suns, rays and hands, each hand-crafted from recycled tomato paste tubes. The light they give back is the light they’ve gathered, transformed through human imagination and care.
Encircling the solar centre, a constellation of colourful arches glows in response to human presence — illuminated when people step within, shining when they rest on the co-created bench. This bench, stitched with applique constellations by PEC Pals and the PEC team, holds stories of community energy, friendship, and shared warmth.
Sunlight Gathering is more than an artwork; it is an invitation. To pause. To play. To sit side by side. To celebrate all that the sun offers — light, life, and connection.
At festivals and gatherings, pieces like this reframe how we meet. They turn conversation into a luminous act. Beneath the glow of Sunlight Gathering, we are reminded that creativity is energy — and that together, we can transform sunlight into joy, into dialogue, into power.
Sunlight Gathering is available to hire for your events, conferences and exhibitions. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements and our costs - hello@artandenergy.org
Solar Artworks
In March 2019, we unveiled our first solar panel artworks during MikroFest at Kaleider Studios in Exeter.
Our first solar panel artworks are 60x60cm and they showcase a great deal of our learning about our materials. They include the use of multi-coloured solar cells, cutting of cells, masking using paint, sandblasting and engraving.
Each artwork has been designed to be displayed indoors and in sunlight they will generate enough energy to power a device like a phone or laptop.
We now have the capabilities to design and fabricate larger scale works for an outdoor environment and are looking for the right place for the first installations.
Energy Landscape
Energy Landscape is a reclaimed solar panel etched with a hand cut design inspired by carbon in the landscape.
Created by The Art and Energy Collective this artwork generates electricity which provides power to a battery.
Solar Art Workshops
We’ve developed and run a range of solar art making workshops, getting creative with individuals and groups of all ages.
We combine high-tech solar-cells with accessible low-tech techniques. These hands-on making sessions introduce new skills, boost individual’s creative confidence and empower participants to make choices about their relationship with energy.
Check out our events for upcoming workshops, or contact us if you would like us to hold a workshop for your community.
Pre-covid, the early solar artworks toured to various places around the UK including:
27th November – Renewable Futures and Green Energy Awards Bath – exhibition
22-26 January – Depictions of Living – Art and Activism in time of climate crisis – Art Pavilion, Mile End, London
28th September – Solar Charger Making Workshop – TRESOC members and friends Totnes – workshop
27th September – Environment and Sustainability Institute Penryn – Demonstration and Talk
16th September – Solar Charger Making Workshop – TRESOC members and friends Totnes – workshop
5th September to Friday 11th October – Environment and Sustainability Institute Penryn – Exhibition of artworks
3rd September – The Factory Knowle West Media Centre, Bristol – Talk
23rd August – 26th August – International Festival of Glass Stourbridge – Exhibition of artworks, demonstration and workshops
25th July – Science and Industry Museum Manchester – Energy and Public Communication Symposium
20th July – EcoFest Tavistock – Public demonstration and invitation to join in
12th July – The Making Table – Ocean Studios Plymouth – 10 – 3pm Public demonstration of making The Big Bang Artworks
25th June – The Big Bang South West, Exeter – Demonstration
17th June – VentureFest, Exeter – Demonstration
10th May – Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter – RAMM Lates Talk and display
5th April – TedX Exeter – The Art of the Possible Exhibition
15th March – MikroFest Exeter – Unveiling of first artworks
