SOLAR LABORATORY

A hands-on experimental workshop and exhibition exploring how solar energy can power new architectural and design imaginaries. Held in Vilniusin the July, it was organised by SODAS 2123 and Architektūros fondas in collaboration with the architecture collective inter- (Zurich), who are also LINA fellows, and the Vilnius Academy of Arts. The project was supported by the Lithuanian Council of Culture and the Municipality of Vilnius.

The workshop brought together 15 participants from various creative disciplines—including three selected LINA fellows Lewis Ruben Horkulak, Ansgar Hans Josef Fridolin Stadler, and Nicolas Thomas König —to reimagine domestic appliances and rituals powered by direct solar energy. Over five intensive days, participants engaged with solar optics and design principles, built full-scale prototypes, and explored how everyday actions such as cooking, washing, and grooming could be performed using only the sun’s energy. The aim was to critically examine our dependence on extractivist energy systems and to imagine more self-sufficient, regenerative futures.

The programme included lectures, design experiments, and public screening. The results of the workshop were later presented in the exhibition space of SODAS 2123.

Workshop

The SOLAR LAB workshop took place from 9–13 July 2024 at SODAS 2123 in Vilnius, bringing together 15 participants from architecture and related disciplines. Led by LINA Fellows alongside Justinas Dūdėnas, Martynas Germanavičius, Tauras Stalnionis, Živilė Mantrimaitė, and Pierre Marmy, the group explored how solar energy could be integrated into everyday domestic life. Participants developed and tested full-scale prototypes for solar-powered cooking, washing, and other routines, promoting low-tech, resilient design alternatives.

The workshop was accompanied by a public programme featuring talks on solar infrastructure, food and energy cultures, and sustainable materials. It also included an outdoor screening of Ikarie Xb 1 (1963), organised as part of the Gilios upės tyliai plaukia programme.

The week concluded with a public exhibition and final presentations on Saturday, 13 July, where visitors engaged with the prototypes and discussed solar design in everyday life.

Exhibition

Held in the project space of SODAS 2123 from early July to August 11, 2024, the SOLAR LAB exhibition presented the creative outcomes of the SOLAR LAB workshop. Exhibition showcased participants developed functional, full-scale speculative design prototypes—ranging from solar-powered ovens and coffee makers to shower systems—demonstrating how domestic routines might be powered through direct sunlight.

The exhibition combined finished devices with process material: sketches, technical drawings, field-test documentation, and explanatory panels. It invited visitors into a reflective, participatory space where they could engage with sustainable energy alternatives and the hands-on processes behind each invention.

Based on the workshop and exhibition the creative team has prepared an article for Vesper magazine and currently is working on publication.