Energy made tangible & wonderful - through design

For two weeks, design thinkers and students from around the world were gathered for DesignCamp 2011 at Kolding Design School.

Their mission: to come up with new design to make our everyday understanding and use of electricity more tangible. That is, promote a use that is marked by care, reflection, responsiveness, joy and pleasure rather than indifference where electricity is only experienced indirectly through the myriad of devices that make it work.

Making the intangible tangible - and the tangible wonderful!

Most of us find it hard to relate to our use of electricity because we can not feel it or sense that it´s there. So how can we create a physical representation of electricity that brings us both pleasure and makes us more aware of how we use it?

Think iPod - and how it has influenced the way we understand, listen and relate to music. Then think how we can similarly reshape other everyday products and systems to visualize our use of electricity, encourage each other to be considerate and provide new and joyful user experiences.

Fun ideas with serious implications

The design students at DesignCamp 2011 proposed a number of innovative and exciting ideas for how to enhance our interaction and dialogue with the electrical systems that we daily depend on, in a fun and engaging way to increase energy awareness.

• Watch video showcasing student projects from DesignCamp 2011

• Visit the DesignCamp 2011 website: Making the intangible tangible