DE KABEL
The Cable is an inflatabe installation developed within Innovate Create, a program connecting artist-designers with industry partners, including Alliander and NXP Semiconductors.
In response to ongoing upgrades of the Dutch energy infrastructure— often met with public resistance— the project seeks to reframe this tension. Through The Cable, visitors are invited to “meet” the electrons and understand the necessity of these changes, explored via a radio station embedded within the structure, created by writer and musician Laurens van de Linde.
“Welcome back to the human world.
As an electron, you commuted from a wind farm in the North Sea to an ordinary kitchen, traveling through high-, medium-, and low-voltage cables, substations, and transformer units. How magical that a strong sea breeze can resonate in this way through your coffee maker, your toaster, your microwave.
We are using more electricity—and that’s a good thing: it is faster, safer, more sustainable, and ultimately cheaper. However, it also means the grid is becoming more crowded. Electrons, too, need space and freedom of movement. The cable offers a glimpse: what would life be like inside a high-voltage line? What motivates an electron? What process do we casually set in motion when we switch on the light?”
In response to ongoing upgrades of the Dutch energy infrastructure— often met with public resistance— the project seeks to reframe this tension. Through The Cable, visitors are invited to “meet” the electrons and understand the necessity of these changes, explored via a radio station embedded within the structure, created by writer and musician Laurens van de Linde.
“Welcome back to the human world.
As an electron, you commuted from a wind farm in the North Sea to an ordinary kitchen, traveling through high-, medium-, and low-voltage cables, substations, and transformer units. How magical that a strong sea breeze can resonate in this way through your coffee maker, your toaster, your microwave.
We are using more electricity—and that’s a good thing: it is faster, safer, more sustainable, and ultimately cheaper. However, it also means the grid is becoming more crowded. Electrons, too, need space and freedom of movement. The cable offers a glimpse: what would life be like inside a high-voltage line? What motivates an electron? What process do we casually set in motion when we switch on the light?”
