ELECTRIC LIFE

source:teresavandongencom
Nature and science have always marveled Teresa, for that reason she chose to study biology after she finished her high school education. This is where she discovered that there are many secrets of nature that remain almost unknown and that great developments in the field of science very often don’t make it outside the doors of a laboratory. Next to her scientific education she had never given up on her creative hobbies like scenography (theater stage design), sketching and her interest for interior architecture. This combination of fascinations lead her to apply in 2010, after two years of exact studies, for the Design Academy Eindhoven.

Teresa is a.o. fascinated by light as a translation of energy, the transparency of glass and what it beholds and the physics of movement. She loves to think that it is great to understand the languages of physics, chemistry and biology but that the greater value lies in collaborations with people that can continue to surprise and inspire you with their knowledge.

In June 2014 Teresa van Dongen graduated Cum Laude at the Design Academy Eindhoven. In October 2015, during the Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven Teresa was the proud winner of a Dutch Design Award in the category of Young Designer.
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source:teresavandongencom
In the muddy soil of rivers and lakes one can find micro-organisms that continuously excrete electrons in their metabolism. Teresa van Dongen explores these specific bacteria as a means to generate electricity for domestic use. Electric Life is the latest translation in Dongen’s ongoing exploration for alternative and natural sources of energy and light. The light installation is entirely powered by micro-organisms that have electrons as a waste product. A future owner of this living light installation will have to feed and nurture it; a bit of tapwater with some additional nutrients and a teaspoon of vinegar a week will do. Van Dongen imagines that having to feed and thus take care of Electric Life, could result in a closer relationship between the light installation and its owner.
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source:dezeencom
Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen has developed a sustainable light source from living organisms that require regular nourishment in return for electricity.

Called Electric Life, the project currently takes the form of a robot-like “living light” installation on show at Paris’ Centre Pompidou, which is entirely powered by micro-organisms that excrete electrons.

The Amsterdam-based designer wanted to develop a more eco-friendly alternative to current energy and light sources that could be used in the domestic environment.

She found electrochemically active “geobacters” in the muddy soil of rivers and lakes, which emit small electrical currents in their metabolism as a waste product.

“Comparable to humans breathing out CO2, they need to constantly get rid of these, potentially useful, electrons,” explained van Dongen .

After discovering this valuable quality of the bacteria, she set out to harness the energy with the help of Ghent University, by creating an environment in which the organisms can thrive.

She calls this environment a “bacteria battery”, which contains hundreds of kinds of bacteria that, together, form a strong ecosystem.

Each battery features a specially engineered electrode that harvests the electrons excreted by the bacteria, which are then guided through an electrical circuit that is used to generate electricity. This system is able to power three lights per battery.

If this lighting were to be installed in the home, users would have to take care of the bacteria by feeding it once a week with a shot of tap water mixed with some acetate or vinegar.

Van Dongen believes that an added advantage is that this care-taking process would establish a closer relationship between the light installation and its owner.

Electric Life is the latest manifestation of van Dongen’s sustainable energy projects, which she has been developing since 2014, showing her bacteria-powered Spark of Life pendant light at Dutch Design Week in 2016.

The Electric Life project was commissioned by the Centre Pompidou museum in Paris, where the installation will be on display as part of the La Fabrique du Vivant exhibition from 20 February until 15 April 2019 before travelling to New York’s Cooper Hewitt museum and the Cube Design Museum in Kerkrade.
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source:illustraramacom
La diseñadora holandesa Teresa van Dongen ha desarrollado una fuente de luz sostenible de organismos vivos que requieren alimentación regular a cambio de electricidad.
Ella llama a este entorno una “batería de bacterias”, que contiene cientos de tipos de bacterias que, juntas, forman un ecosistema fuerte.
Llamado Electric Life, el proyecto actualmente toma la forma de una instalación de “luz viva” similar a un robot que se exhibe en el Centro Pompidou de París, que está totalmente alimentado por microorganismos que excretan electrones.
Después de descubrir esta valiosa calidad de las bacterias, se dispuso a aprovechar la energía con la ayuda de la Universidad de Ghent, creando un entorno en el que los organismos pueden prosperar.
Van Dongen cree que una ventaja adicional es que este proceso de cuidado establecerá una relación más estrecha entre la instalación de la luz y su propietario.

“En comparación con los humanos que expulsan CO2, necesitan deshacerse constantemente de estos electrones, potencialmente útiles”, explicó van Dongen.
Si se instalara esta iluminación en el hogar, los usuarios tendrían que cuidar las bacterias alimentándolas una vez a la semana con una inyección de agua del grifo mezclada con algo de acetato o vinagre.

Electric Life es la última manifestación de los proyectos de energía sustentable de van Dongen, que ha estado desarrollando desde 2014, mostrando su luz colgante Spark of Life en la Dutch Design Week en 2016.

El diseñador con sede en Ámsterdam quería desarrollar una alternativa más ecológica a la energía actual y las fuentes de luz que podrían utilizarse en el entorno doméstico.
Historia relacionada Teresa van Dongen usa organismos vivos para alimentar la luz LED
La fotografía es de René Gerritsen.
Encontró “geobacteres” electroquímicamente activos en el suelo fangoso de ríos y lagos, que emiten pequeñas corrientes eléctricas en su metabolismo como producto de desecho.
Cada batería cuenta con un electrodo especialmente diseñado que cosecha los electrones excretados por las bacterias, que luego son guiados a través de un circuito eléctrico que se utiliza para generar electricidad. Este sistema es capaz de alimentar tres luces por batería.
El proyecto Centro de Vida Eléctrica fue encargado por el Centre Pompidou Museum en París, donde la instalación se exhibirá como parte de la exposición La Fabrique du Vivant del 20 de febrero al 15 de abril de 2019 antes de viajar al museo Cooper Hewitt de Nueva York y al Cube Design Museum. En Kerkrade.
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source:designbdru
Голландский дизайнер Тереза ​​ван Донген (Teresa van Dongen) разработала источник света, используя живые организмы.

Светильник Electric Life в форме роботоподобной инсталляции «живого света», будет представлен публике в парижском музее Centre Pompidou в рамках выставки La Fabrique du Vivant до 15 апреля 2019 года. Его необычность в том, что он полностью питается от микроорганизмов, которые выделяют электроны.

Тереза ​​ван Донген хотела разработать экологичную альтернативу нынешним источникам энергии и света для использования в домашних условиях. Она обнаружила в речном иле активные геобактерии, у которых отходы – небольшие электрические токи.

После обнаружения этого ценного качества бактерий, она решила использовать их энергию. Для этого была создана среда, в которой организмы смогли полноценно существовать. Тереза назвала эту среду «бактериальной батареей», которая содержит сотни видов бактерий, совместно образующих полноценную экосистему.

У каждой бактерии есть специально разработанный электрод. Он собирает электроны, выделяемые бактериями. Эти электроны выстраиваются в электрическую цепь, которая используется для выработки электроэнергии.

Раз в неделю бактерии нужно кормить водопроводной водой, смешанной с небольшим количеством ацетата или уксуса. Ван Донген считает, что этот процесс по уходу установил тесные отношения между осветительной установкой и ее владельцем.