Static! Designing for energy Awareness

From the boost of the first cup of coffee in the morning to the glow of a nightlight that keeps a child company after dark, much of our contemporary lifestyles is powered by electricity. Today, however, the economic and environmental costs of energy require us to think again. While recognizing the complex social functions and cultural forms of electricity in everyday life, the current challenge for design is to change practices and patterns of (over)consumption.

Static! explores design as a basis for increasing awareness of energy. Familiar furnishings and products have been reinterpreted to materialize electricity, to make it more visible and tangible for people. The resulting series of conceptual design examples express the poetics – and politics – of everyday electricity consumption. A design research project at the Interactive Institute funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Static! has proved to be a pioneer in opening a current and critical research area at the intersection of design, energy and information technology.
This book presents the Static! design examples and perspectives on issues in (sustainable) design today. Grounded in passion and humor, as well as rigor and research, the book asks designers and consumers – that is, all of us – to rethink the form, and future, of electricity in the world around us.

Editor: Ramia Mazé.
Authors: Christina Öhman, Sara Backlund, Johan Redström, Ramia Mazé, Sara Ilstedt Hjelm, Sara Routarinne.