When the City of Pasadena wanted to bring some beauty to an electric power plant in a somewhat overlooked neighborhood, little did it realize that the design idea would grow into a completely sustainable solution that would enhance the area, increase safety and security and quite frankly, look fantastic! Developed by UeBERSEE, the botanically-inspired PowerSEED art installation involves flower-like stalks of solar powered lights sprouting up throughout different areas of site. It’s not until you see the images that you’ll understand why this gorgeously simply installation was nominated as a finalist in the 2007 Index Award and the Metropolis Magazine Next Generation Awards.
The art project is made out of 30 individual PowerSEEDs. Each individual PowerSEED is made out of a fully solar powered light set on top of a 24 metre tall flexible pole, which swings gently in the wind like a large sunflower. Each unit is able to be moved as needed in accordance with the needs of the installation and development of the site. Furthermore, the designers decided to go an extra step and created an “Adopt aPowerPlant” program, in order to enhance the sense of ownership in the installation
We fell in love with the PowerSEED installation ever since we saw it featured on the Metropolis Magazine Next Generation awards (you might recall that the winner of such award was Civil Twilight’s lunar resonant street lighting). The ephemeral feeling of the installation combined with the gorgeously lit night time installation gave you the sense that sustainability can easily go hand in hand with beauty.
looks fantastic.
We need more things like that, to show people that environmentalism can look great and wont ruin our landscape (oh the irony that lots of people think environmentalism will actually ruin the landscape).