Marjan van Aubel talks about solar power and her new Sunne light
Photo by Sander Plug
Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel has created a light powered by the sun – no plug needed. Called Sunne, the design reached its Kickstarter goal in only 48 hours and it features a built-in battery with solar cells developed by energy research center ECN.TNO.
In this interview, van Aubel talks with Bridget Cogley about renewable energy and the need for everyone to do their part when it comes to sustainability.
She runs her eponymous studio in Amsterdam and holds a bachelor’s degree from Rietveld Academy and a master’s from the Royal College of Art in The Hague.
BC: What’s one development or technology that the industry should adopt more broadly?
MV: I think more people should design with solar. Solar should be something that is taken into a design or architectural plan at the start of the process, helping us weave solar power seamlessly with the spaces. Solar power has so much potential, far beyond the blue panels on one’s roof. Whole building facades could be designed and utilized in a different way if solar power is incorporated at the start of the design process.
Sunne hangs on two steel wires in front of a window
BC: How do you describe your work to your grandpa?
MV: Both my granddads were artists, so I would explain that I am changing the perspective from solar technology to solar design. That in order to create a mass adaption of solar energy, we need a more human relationship with harvesting energy. We can do this through design/art. Then I would be quiet and let them interpret this for themselves.
“For privileged people who can afford food and shelter, sustainability should become a habit in their lives.”
BC: What are some ideas to get more people interested in sustainability?
MV: Sustainability can start incredibly small. For privileged people who can afford food and shelter, it should become a habit in their lives. This could be skipping meat one day of the week, taking a shorter shower, recycling your plastic, paper and glass, bringing a to-go coffee cup, or picking up some rubbish. If everyone starts with themselves and looks at what small thing they can do today, that’s how a movement starts.
BC: What do you think about the word “sustainability”? Is it too confusing?
MV: Sustainability means that something sustains. At the moment the system is not sustainable, as it’s using materials and resources that are finite. I don’t think it is vague, but you have to think in systems and long term, which makes it all quite complex.
I also like the word responsibility. This word consists of ‘respond’ and ‘ability’ – the ability to respond to something long-term and for generations to come.
BC: What do you think is the one major thing that needs to happen right now to further efforts in sustainable design?
MV: Don’t make unnecessary products with finite resources. Stop greenwashing. It’s all about educating ourselves and each other. Do I need this product? Is the product really green? Is it really made out of recycled plastic? How and where is it produced?
