solarcircus.org http://solarcircus.org Sun-powered art + performance Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:45:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 solarCircus travels to Lake Forest College http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/solarcircus-travels-to-lake-forest-college/ http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/solarcircus-travels-to-lake-forest-college/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:21:39 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=281 SolarCircus will be a featured installation in Tiffany Holmes’ solo show at Lake Forest College opening November 5, 2010.  Titled “Life under the sun” the exhibition based in the Sonnenschein Gallery will feature an installation of Holmes’ kinetic solar sculptures as well as some samples of student work made in the two workshops to be conducted on Tuesday, October 26, 2010.

solarCircus goes to Lake Forest College

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/solarcircus-travels-to-lake-forest-college/feed/ 0 Over forty people built DIY solar sculptures http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/over-forty-people-built-diy-solar-sculptures-for-the-wagon/ http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/over-forty-people-built-diy-solar-sculptures-for-the-wagon/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:12:17 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=277 Though a series of free public workshops at the 2010 01SJ Biennial, over forty people built DIY solar sculptures for the wagon that I pulled in the Green Prix Parade on Saturday September  18th.  The DIY solar sculpture workshops were incredibly well-attended; I think I met all the students currently enrolled in Digital Media at San Jose State University over the last few days.  Check out the photos of the excellent kinetic installation in process on my Flickr site here.

Tiff posing in front of the solarCircus wagon

Tiff posing in front of the solarCircus wagon

solarCircus wagon ready for the Green Prix parade

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/over-forty-people-built-diy-solar-sculptures-for-the-wagon/feed/ 0 Space available in toy hacking workshops http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/space-available-in-solar-toy-hacking-workshops/ http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/space-available-in-solar-toy-hacking-workshops/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:06:52 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=271 If you are anywhere in the vicinity of San Jose, CA in September please come participate in a solar toy hacking workshop called DIY Solar Sculptures.  There is still space available.  Sign up online here.  Below is a little more about the exciting event…hoping for mostly sunny days.

Tiffany Holmes will be showing solarCircus in Out of the Garage Into the World, a large exhibition that is part of the 2010 01SJ Biennial curated by Steve Dietz and Jaime Austin (http://01sj.org/).

Holmes’ solarCircus (2009-2010) is an interdisciplinary platform for eco-dialogue about the future of renewable energy in urban spaces. Inside South Hall, visitors can browse a resource library, hack a solar toy, and experiment with solar cell construction. Outdoors, a miniature city of the future displays the creative potentials of solar power. This imaginary world is constructed from recycled materials, various electronics, and solar panels.

solarCircus: DIY Solar Sculptures

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2010/09/space-available-in-solar-toy-hacking-workshops/feed/ 0 solarCircus at 01SJ Biennial http://solarcircus.org/2010/07/solarcircus-at-01sj-biennial/ http://solarcircus.org/2010/07/solarcircus-at-01sj-biennial/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:17:42 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=266 From September 4-25, 2010, solarCircus will be exhibited at the 01SJ Biennial in South Hall. solarCircus (2009-2010) is an interdisciplinary platform for eco-dialogue about the future of renewable energy in urban spaces. Inside South Hall, visitors can browse a resource library, hack a solar toy, and experiment with solar cell construction. Outdoors, a miniature city of the future displays the creative potentials of solar power.

I will be conducting workshops and drop-in demonstrations from September 16-19 and Beth Ferguson from Sol Design Lab will be facilitating workshops from September 5-14. On September 18th the project will take to the streets and be part of the Green Prix parade. The Green Prix is an all day festival that surrounds sustainable, ecological friendly, and fun modes of transportation—artful “eco-motion.”

LISTING OF SOLAR TOY HACKING WORKSHOPS (SOUTH HALL)
All workshop participants invited to contribute a sculpture to the large outdoor solar city.

Sunday, 9/5/2010, Hours: 2-4pm
Workshop: DIY Solar Sculptures
Participants: 5-10
Instructor: Beth Ferguson (Sol Design Lab)

Friday, 9/10/2010, Hours: 5-7pm
Workshop: DIY Solar Sculptures
Participants: 5-10
Instructor: Beth Ferguson (Sol Design Lab)

Saturday, 9/11/2010, Hours: 10am-12pm
Workshop: DIY Solar Sculptures
Participants: 5-10
Instructor: Beth Ferguson (Sol Design Lab)

Thursday, 9/16/2010, Hours: 5-7pm
Workshop: DIY Solar Sculptures
Participants: 5-10
Instructor: Tiffany Holmes

Friday, 9/17/2010, Hours: 5-7pm
Workshop: DIY Solar Sculptures
Participants: 5-10
Instructor: Tiffany Holmes

Saturday, 9/18/2010, Hours: 5-7pm
Workshop: DIY Solar Sculptures
Participants: 5-10
Instructor: Tiffany Holmes

New solarCircus logo for T-shirts

New solarCircus logo for T-shirts

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2010/07/solarcircus-at-01sj-biennial/feed/ 0 Holmes presents solarCircus at Solar 2010 http://solarcircus.org/2010/03/holmes-presents-solarcircus-at-solar-2010/ http://solarcircus.org/2010/03/holmes-presents-solarcircus-at-solar-2010/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:04:44 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=200 I will be delivering a presentation for the first time at the ASES National Solar Conference on May 21, 2010 in Phoenix, AZ.

My solarCircus research and practice will be featured in a forum titled “Think Like an EcoSystem – Attracting People More Successfully to Renewables“ scheduled for Friday, May 21 from 10:30am to noon.  This forum was organized by Marda Kirn, the founding Executive Director of EcoArts Connections, an organization which brings together science, arts, and other organizations to advance public understanding of climate change and sustainable solutions. She is also the first Visiting Arts Professional at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Artists Mary Miss and Robert Tully will also be speaking on this panel.

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2010/03/holmes-presents-solarcircus-at-solar-2010/feed/ 0 Solar toy hacking at Microwave in Hong Kong http://solarcircus.org/2009/11/solar-toy-hacking-at-microwave-in-hong-kong/ http://solarcircus.org/2009/11/solar-toy-hacking-at-microwave-in-hong-kong/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:08:45 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=186 Tiffany Holmes conducted a hands-on workshop on solar toy hacking on November 15, 2009 at the 13th annual Microwave Festival in Hong Kong.  The workshop was very well attended and we used the 6-in-1 solar robot kit.  If you are interested in trying this yourself at home, it’s a great activity for anyone age 8 and up.  The kits we used are available from Amazon in the US for about $13.

Solar toy hacking workshop participants, Hong Kong

Solar toy hacking workshop participants, Hong Kong, Nov 2009

In the workshop the first thing that happens is that I deliver a short lecture about solar energy.  Then we open the kits and everyone chooses one form to put together: windmill, plane, airboat, car, or puppy.  I find it takes about 30 minutes on average for everyone to put together the solar toy following the kit directions.  The 6-in-1 kit is one of the easiest to put together as the kits are well designed with little springs that actually hold wires in place so there are rarely loose connections.

Putting together a solar toy, Hong Kong, Nov 2009

Putting together a solar toy, Hong Kong, Nov 2009

The last hour of the workshop is spent demonstrating different strategies to take the toy apart and reuse the parts to make another sun-powered sculpture.  A number of the participants wind up decorating their object that they have recently made using the workshop’s supply of glitter, felt, and other sundries.

Hacked and repurposed solar toys, Hong Kong, 2009

Hacked and repurposed solar toys, Hong Kong, 2009

Holmes also exhibited her interactive electricity visualization, darkSky (2009) and her generative animation FRESH 3.0 at the 13th annual Microwave Festival in Hong Kong. For more information see: http://www.microwavefest.net/festival2009.

darkSky (2009) by Tiffany Holmes

darkSky (2009) by Tiffany Holmes

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2009/11/solar-toy-hacking-at-microwave-in-hong-kong/feed/ 0 Collecting energy in my backyard http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/yes-in-my-backyard/ http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/yes-in-my-backyard/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:52:55 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=180 Today, Thursday was a nice sunny Chicago day and we let all of our solar gadgets loose out in the backyard.  What a pleasant clatter.  The grasshoppers shook for two hours straight.  It was our last day of the summer solarCircus studio.  Special thanks to interns Real Chen and TC Eley for all their hard work in helping to put together the solar toy kits and in coming up with designs for unique characters and solar staging scenery.

solarCircus, July 2009

solarCircus, July 2009

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/yes-in-my-backyard/feed/ 0 solarCircus awarded Rhizome 2010 artists’ commission http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/solarcircus-awarded-rhizome-2010-artists-commission/ http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/solarcircus-awarded-rhizome-2010-artists-commission/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:15:10 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=79 Tiffany Holmes was awarded a 2010 Rhizome commission on June 29th to produce solarCircus.  The solarCircus project is a collection of related creative activities: hands-on workshops, nomadic solar-powered urban interventions, and online performances that explore sun-powered art.

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/solarcircus-awarded-rhizome-2010-artists-commission/feed/ 0 Circus kits are here! http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/circus-kits-are-here/ http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/circus-kits-are-here/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:36:41 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=70 Peppy orangutan

Peppy orangutan

This week, studio interns Real Chen and TC Eley are hard at work assembling a whole treasure trove of solar toy kits. Favorites include the solar boat, attacking inchworm, peppy orangutan, and solarobot. We are working to create a database of toys that detail construction tips and live action videos. Check the new pages under Solar Toys to see examples of some of the kits we have assembled and tested for the upcoming circus.

]]> http://solarcircus.org/2009/07/circus-kits-are-here/feed/ 0 Solar Sculpture Gallery http://solarcircus.org/2009/03/solar-sculpture-gallery/ http://solarcircus.org/2009/03/solar-sculpture-gallery/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:58:10 +0000 Tiffany Holmes http://solarcircus.org/?p=40 DIY Solar Sculpture class at Chicago's MCA

DIY Solar Sculptures class at Chicago's MCA

The DIY Solar Sculptures class was fully enrolled with 15 eager students at Chicago’s Museum for Contemporary Art on March 7, 2009. We spent about an hour putting together the walking king crab kits and then people just ripped them apart and made all sorts of cool things. Check out some of the sculptures on my Flickr page!

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