From the boost of the first cup of coffee in the morning to the glow of a nightlight that keeps a child company in the dark, much of our contemporary lifestyle is powered by electricity. Today, however, the economic and environmental costs of energy require us to think again. While recognising the complex social functions and cultural forms of electricity in everyday life, the current challenge for design is to change practicies and patterns of (over) consumtion.
Static! explores design as a basic 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 every-day electricity consumption. This book presents the Static! design examples and perspectives on issues in (sustain-able) 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.