Stéfane Perraud FR & Aram Kebabdjian FR
Solar Device

Installation

Exhibition “ Solar Futures

October 30 through December 12, 2026
, Wednesday through Saturday, 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

La Manufacture Gallery
, Aix-en-Provence

Cast

Stéfane Perraud and Aram Kebabdjian
Artistic Director: Stéfane Perraud
IT System: Manuel Deneu
Assistant: Ana Redina

Credits

Co-production: Stereolux

Born in opposition to cyberpunk’s dystopian and apocalyptic tendencies, solarpunk is an artistic and political movement that promotes an optimistic vision of the future. It fosters new narratives to highlight solutions and address current environmental and social issues. Technology is not excluded from these scenarios; rather, it is harnessed to support alternative lifestyles.

The Solar Device project thus presents itself as a laboratory for the future of technology. It is either a desirable machine or a utopian project for a future society. The installation, powered solely by solar panels located outside the exhibition hall, operates according to the energy reserves available to it. A series of LED panels, arranged in a circle, power twelve Mendocino motors that rotate while levitating thanks to the photons received by their mini solar panels. Invented by Bell Labs at the same time as photovoltaic cells, these motors have just enough energy to power themselves. In real time, taking into account the cycle of our star, the time of day, and daily weather conditions, Solar Device—constantly seeking its energy balance—manages its energy reserves and adapts its luminous and kinetic behavior. The more energy it has available, the faster it spins; the scarcer its resources, the more conservatively it operates. In the exhibition space, binaural waves envelop viewers from four speakers. This hypnotic sound, modulated by the number of revolutions made by the Mendocino motors, directly reflects Solar Device’s energy state. In contrast to the entropic forces that generate chaos and destruction, Solar Device invites us to collectively envision a more resilient mode of organization and resource use.