Museo Aero Solar Chiang Rai – Thailand Biennale

In Chiang Rai, a city known for its cultural and historical richness, the Museo Aero Solar project, conceived by Tomás Saraceno and Alberto Pesavento in 2007, is experiencing a new chapter. Recently, the community of Chiang Rai came together to create a new Museo Aero Solar using 5,000 repurposed plastic bags collected in a campaign, each bag carrying its own story and being saved from environmental harm. This project, embodying collaborative creativity and environmental consciousness, resulted in a unique aerosolar sculpture.

A diverse group, including Imm, Ice, Chris, Lena, Pan, Jude, Peam, Tomás and Joaquin, played a pivotal role in this initiative. They aimed to build an aerostatic flying sculpture that also serves as a museum, using recycled plastic bags as their primary material. Their effort signifies a transformation of pollutants into symbols of hope.

The plastic bag collection campaign led by Jude, Imm, and Ice in Chiang Rai was a significant part of the project. Several community groups actively participated, turning places that once saw these bags as litter into collection points. The campaign gathered over 10,000 recycled bags, highlighting the community’s effort to reduce plastic usage in daily life.

 

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Thanks to all the institutions individuals that  who helped with the desquite of massive plastic bag collection campaign! Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Chiang Rai Vocational College, Chiang Rai Municipality School 5, Chiang Rai Provincial Administrative Organization School, Singhaklai House, Bedtime Hostel, and Lofi Cafe

On Saturday December 2nd, the community reconvened for a canvas drawing workshop at the Old City Hall’s lawn, infused with a renewed spirit of creativity. More students from Chiang Rai, together with whole families and friends spent the whole day drawing under the shadow, sheltered from Chaing Rai’s sunny weather. This was not just a gathering, but a celebration of expression, where thoughts, art, feelings, and messages were intricately woven onto the Museo Aero Solar canvas. It became a platform where artistic experience was secondary to enthusiasm, allowing everyone to contribute their unique perspectives.



On Monday December 4th, Thailand’s National Environment Day we launched the Museo Aero Solar Chiang Rai’s with it’s first inflation and inaugural flight at the Old City Hall. With just the right weather, everyone was able to witness the collective creation ascend, symbolizing our hopes and dreams, inviting everyone to use less plastic in our daily lives, for more sustainable future(s).

The project was invited to participate at the Chiang Rai Art Biennale, where Museo Aero Solar will be exhibited alongside diverse artworks that explore themes of history, culture, and the natural world. Guided by the artistic vision of directors like Rirkrit Tiravanija and curated by experts such as Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, the Biennale serves as a global canvas, stretching from the banks of the Mekong to the depths of the Amazon.

Aerocene at Understanding Risk 2022

In late november the Aerocene community was invited to fly aerosolar at the Understading Risk global forum, in Florianópolis, Brazil. Understading Risk is a global community of experts and practitioners with interest in “disastrology”, the field which studies disasters from all points of view and establishes guidelines for their management.
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Although the weather did not help, the Aerocene team managed to get an Aerocene sculpture airborne to the admiration of forum attendants. But soon, the clouds closed in again forcing to quickly deflate the sculpture and seek shelter from the adverse meteorology.
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The states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina have been affected by heavy rains in the last week. Disaster preparedness allows governments and humanitarian institutions to build resilience, giving priority to those most at need. As the climate emergency unfolds, the need for #UnderstandingRisk will be more and more dire.

Aerocene en Fête – Hangar Y

On Friday July 14th, the Aerocene Community gathered in Hangar Y @hangar_y_, southwest of Paris, for “Aerocene en Fête”, a unique collaborative and performative experience. Hangar Y is the world’s first airship hangar, originally built in 1879. A historical site were many dreams of lighter than air transportation were born almost a century ago, Hangar Y was the background for Aerocene solar sculpture flights.

Aerocene Community members Sasha Engelman and Maxi Laina joined the encounter traveling by train from London and Berlin respectively. Together with Ewen Chardronnet and Cedric Carles, they piloted solar sculptures inviting the general public and curious curious passers-by to become aerosolar pilots themselves.

During the exhibition, visitors were able to watch Aerocene collective’s most recent audiovisual work, “Fly with Pacha, Into the Aerocene” (2017-ongoing, directed by Maxi Laina and Tomás Saraceno).

The surrounding park was explored in a solar parade guided by Paleoenergie and accompanied with solar music beats by Solar Sound System. Thibaut Piel set a vintage photo booth of guests reading the Aerocene Newspaper.

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The day ended with a conversation with Maxi Laina, Sasha Engelman, Cedric Carles and Ewen Chardronnet. The themes were as urgent as inspiring: lithium extraction in Argentina and the threats for local communities’ access to water, the Open Weather project and open source measurements of air pollution on the eve of the +1.5C threshold, the history of low-carbon flights and the environmental impact of the rocket industry.

Thanks to everyone who came together for this fantastic encounter of memories, dreams and hopes! Let’s keep envisioning a renewed call for planetary solidarity and mutual care.

The Aerocene community met together in collaboration with ART2M, Makery, Atelier21 and Hangar Y.

With support from Mondes Nouveaux

Ph 📸: Malo Chardronnet and Carine LM

COMUNITARIA – Aerocene in Tre Archi

We’d like to share the story of COMUNITARIA, and independ event organized by the Italian Aeroce Community, leaded by Lorenzo Malloni @malloni.lorenzo, and On the Road Cooperative, which works in the area since 1994 protecting and promoting the human and civil rights of women, men, children and transgender people.

 

Thanks to the energy of italian architect Lorenzo Malloni -representing the Aerocene Italian community- the neighborhood of Lido Tre Archi in Fermo became a new hub for the international Aerocene collective.

The shared journey begun with an Aerosolar Sculpture Construction workshop, on which participants built an ultralight inflatable aerostatic balloon capable of flying using only solar radiation, and sewn following a geometric double-tetrahedron pattern to achieve its final form. The workshop took place on June 29 and 30, 2023, with the participation of five neighborhood community members. Participants from the activities recalled:


“..We had the opportunity to sew together not only an inflatable aerostatic balloon, but also our laughter, our words, our stories, which joined each other with scissors, needle and thread, to get to know each other and recognise each other as a community. The sculptures we collectively created were made to fly thanks to the teamwork of the skillful hands of young and old…”

After completing the construction phase, the participants were guided through a training process on how to fly the Aerosolar sculpture. The result of this interweaving made its debut during the event “ComunitAria – Aerocene in Tre Archi”, organised as part of the FAMI AGIRE di comunità Project at the Social Center Luigi Salvatori, San Tommaso Tre Archi, Fermo. After the event some of the newly become Aerosolar Pilots shared their impressions:

“…Watching the aerosolar sculptures fly was a breathtaking thrill! Heartfelt thanks go to Lorenzo Malloni @malloni.lorenzo for this opportunity, which he followed with heart and precision, conveying immense passion and professionalism, and for making the Lido Tre Archi neighbourhood an important hub for the Italian @aerocene community…”

Thanks to the Workshop participants: Meryem, Saida, Ousman, Happiness, Peace, Rajni, Favour, Edda, Maria, Ivana, Imran, Zohra, Palak, Alisa, Elvira, Ruben, Mouna; who patiently and committedly put themselves on the line, creating a wonderful work, and to Sint, Oltrelacoltre, ldgu and Ricky Antolini for colouring the afternoon with music and making people dance.

@ontheroadcoop
📸 Ph > Alessio Beato @alessiobeato

A new way of flying​ – aeronautical students in Forlì

An object from the Aerocene era challenged the aircrafts of the Anthropocene in their own territory; it was a meaningful experience for all participants.

On February 14, 2023, third-year students flew the Aerocene Sculpture into the skie of the F. Baracca Institute in Forlì, one of three aeronautical high schools in Italy, attended by students who come from all over Italy with dreams of becoming pilots or aircraft engineers.

The flight of the Aerocene sculpture was the last stage of a course that began in November 2022 and was designed at the boundary between art and science. Students learned the physics of an aerosolar flight and built two versions of Tetro following the manual available on the Aerocene website.

The course was designed thanks to the collaboration between physics teachers at the Baracca Institute and the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Bologna, within the FEDORA European research project. Together we designed an extracurricular course to observe what happens when scientific knowledge meets an artistic language and to develop the sustainability skills outlined in GreenComp, the European sustainability competence framework published by the European Commission in 2022. The European document is intended to be a guide for those wishing to develop educational projects aimed at developing sustainability competences. The Aerocene art project seemed a suitable opportunity to achieve these educational goals at the Baracca Institute.

The course began with a lecture introducing the works of Tomás Saraceno and the Aerocene project, followed by a lesson on the physics of aerosolar flights and a workshop on building Tetro.

Afterwards, we flew the sculpture twice. The first attempt on January 12 was on a sunny day, but light white clouds veiled the sun and did not allow the sculpture to fly successfully. The second attempt occurred on February 14, in the early hours of a beautiful sunny afternoon, with blue skies cleared of clouds. The sculpture soared a few meters into the open space around the school, a few dozen meters away from the runway of Forli’s small airport. An object from the Aerocene era challenged the aircrafts of the Anthropocene in their own territory; it was a meaningful experience for all participants.

The students were very happy to experience a new way of flying, totally different from what they learn in their school. The encounter with an art form was surprising and exciting for them and offered a unique opportunity to reflect on climate change and the need to change our habits. This experience expanded their idea of what it means to fly, made them understand how we can collaborate with nature, and showed an unprecedented way to relate to the air. The students had an artistic experience that emotionally enriched their vision of a more sustainable future, making the message more effective and persistent.

Now, it remains to finalize the project with the flight test of the two student-built sculptures as soon as the sun and wind allow. We are all happy to have been part of the Aerocene Community. The Baracca Institute will repeat the experience in future years, helping to raise awareness of Aerocene and expand its community.
At the end of the course, one student wrote, “I express my desire that art and science continue to travel together; working on this project has engaged me and I hope to work on equally exciting projects in the future.”

We hope that other schools will have the same experience.

Salvemos el Cerro de Villa del Dique

Durante el fin de semana del 15 y 16 de octubre, la comunidad de Aerocene participa del Encuentro Ambiental del Villa del Dique 2022, organizado por la Asamblea Salvemos el Cerro de Villa del Dique.

Dialogamos con Gabriel Marco, uno de los realizadores del Encuentro Ambiental: “En Villa del Dique, en el corazón del valle de Calamuchita, una empresa constructora -GNI @gni.desarrollos- se apropió del camino público y de las costas del lago para un desarrollo inmobiliario. Para eso abrió un camino de forma totalmente irregular destruyendo el bosque de monte nativo sin ninguna evaluación de impacto ambiental.”

La Asamblea de vecinos “Salvemos al Cerro de Villa del dique” se encuentra en pie de lucha y alerta ambiental frente a la devastadora acción de la mega desarrollista GNI SA, la cual se apropió irregularmente de las costas del lago del pueblo para construir viviendas de lujo con puerto privado para comercializar.

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La comunidad de Aerocene participó del encuentro volando tres esculturas aerosolares, a las que se les colgaron banderas en apoyo la causa del Cerro de Villa del Dique. Los vuelos se dieron con excelentes condiciones atmosféricas y fueron disfrutados por decenas de familias que visitaron el Encuentro Ambiental.

Al día siguiente, los integrantes de la Comunidad Aerocene arribaron al territorio con la intención de realizar un vuelo aerosolar manifestándose en contra de la destrucción del Cerro de la Cruz, pero la empresa de seguridad privada de la constructora GNI SA les impidió el acceso tanto por el camino como por las costas, argumentando que se trataba de propiedad privada.

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Invitamos a reflexionar: justifica un negocio inmobiliario semejante daño al entorno natural y patrimonio turístico de tan hermoso lugar?

https://www.change.org/p/fuera-gni-de-villa-del-dique-devuelvan-el-camino-del-cerro-y-las-costas-del-lago-reserva-forestal-ya-salvemos-al-cerro-de-villa-del-dique-jschiaretti-jc-scotto-mvmuccillo-gnidesarrollos

Frontignano Art Walks, Italia

Il 15 ottobre Aerocene si è alzata in volo a Frontignano, una piccola frazione del comune di Ussita, in provincia di Macerata.

Situata nel cuore del Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini, la cittadina è tristemente nota per essere stata uno degli epicentri dei terremoti del 2016: un evento, quello sismico, che ha messo in ginocchio la città, danneggiandola in modo sostanziale e decimando al contempo il numero di turisti che ogni inverno affollavano queste zone per le attività sciistiche.

L’evento si proponeva di riflettere sul significato e sulle possibilità degli “altipiani”, di ripensare le montagne e di come viverle in modo autentico e non invasivo. cittadina è tristemente nota per essere stata uno degli epicentri dei terremoti del 2016: un evento, quello sismico, che ha messo in ginocchio la città, danneggiandola in modo sostanziale e decimando al contempo il numero di turisti che ogni inverno affollavano queste zone per le attività sciistiche.

La scultura Aerocene ha volato attraverso lo splendido scenario e, in assenza di vento, si è alzata lentamente sopra l’orizzonte, mentre un pubblico attento seguiva i suoi movimenti ondulatori.

Sineglossa (@sineglossa_), C.A.S.A. (@portodimontagna), orizzontale (@orizzontale_architecture), BAM! Strategie Culturali (@bamstracult) e Go World (@goworld_touroperator).

Museo Aero Solar Intiñan – COP20, Lima, Perú

We can become aerosolar

By Pablo Suarez, Ph.D.
Innovation Lead
Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

On Sunday, December 7, 2014, Museo Aero Solar Intiñán became lighter than air and lifted off the ground, in the context of the annual UN Climate Conference in Lima -COP20. The event included former heads of state, national ministers, and leaders of development organizations from all continents. No need for helium or a burning flame feeding off fossil fuels: Just sunlight and the flame of motivated volunteers.

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Under Tomás’ vision and guidance, a team of local volunteers set to work, including artists, students and Red Cross youth, as well as grandmothers and children from the slums near Parque Wiracocha. They collectively constructed a Museo Aero Solar: a large, lighter-than-air sculpture made of plastic bags that would otherwise be trash, engaging people across generations. Named “Intiñán” (a Quechua word meaning “way of the sun”), the sculpture aimed to harness the sun’s power to make our thinking and action take flight.

 

While Museo Aero Solar Intiñán was absorbing the sun’s power before it took flight, many participants decided to experience the magic. People in suits and neckties removed their shoes and crawled into this cathedral of light made of simple plastic bags. An artistic vision was uniting Lima’s shanty town dwellers with Nobel-prize-winning scientists, Bangladeshi community organizers, TV crews, European donors and Ugandan disaster managers, all bonding and reigniting their commitment to a better world while looking up to the luminous world of possibilities from inside the incomprehensibly beautiful sculpture.

I imagine what Pablo must have gone through, to get bureaucratic sign-off on this. No metric of success. No Theory of Change. Him, fighting tooth and nail for a large and hugely risk-averse organization to trust, falls into the arms of a community, an artist, a facilitator, and a game maker. And they did. And it changed the entire event. People in suits crawling into this cathedral made of plastic bags, each individually cut and added with love to the whole. A pile of fancy shoes outside the entrance, like a ballroom bouncy castle. People’s unabashed joy watching art some of them had made into a room, and then lift off to become a transport

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Intiñán incarnated what our world needs: We can become aerosolar. We can mobilize the power of humanity, embracing science and art to rekindle our relationship with the world. The beauty, the sheer joy, and the deep inspiration that emerged from embarking on Tomás’ aerosolar ideas were magnificently uplifting. His invitation to an artistic experimental performance was an innovative, seriously fun endeavour that compelled us to re-imagine the world and its possibilities.

Hosted by Development & Climate Days, 2014: Zero poverty, Zero emissions, Within a generation.

With:

Studio Tomás Saraceno

Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

Overseas Development Institute

American Red Cross

Peruvian Red Cross

Pablo Suarez, Carlos Pedreros, Willow Brugh, Helga Elsner Torres, Ramiro Espinoza Wong, Frances Munar Aparicio and many more!

Aerocene at Nextones Festival in Italy

On July 27th and 28th Aerocene community member Lorenzo Malloni carried out a 2-day workshop: 26 Steps to be On Air during the Nextones Festival in the Val d’ Ossola, Italy.

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Using inexpensive Do-It-Together techniques, the workshop’s twelve participants built two enourmous Tetro Aerosolar sculptures, that were later flown to excellent conditions. About the recent workshop, Lorenzo recalls: “We strictly followed the Aerocene sculpture construction method, including corner reinforcements and an inflation opening with velcro stripes”.

On the third day the participants were able to fly the sculptures collectively built. During the first half hour the wind was very low providing almost ideal conditions, and the sculptures took only five minutes to become buoyant. In Lorenzo’s words: “The alpine air was fresh and chill and the summer sun did the rest”.

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Aerocene seeks to change how people relate to the world in environmental, social, and political terms. To build, and to design the sculpture is to engage participants in practices of thinking-through-making and collaborative action, triggering imagination and creativity, and spreading knowledge about solar balloon flights, thermodynamic physics, meteorological science and art practices through a multidisciplinary approach.⁠

Nextones project for “A Theatre of Stone in Nature” stands out as an example of architectural and landscape design which draws on the natural context and the industrial archeology of the location, thus ensuring the continuation of a narrative and enabling future generations to actively experience these spaces and also to contribute to their transformation.

Picture credits: Piercarlo Quecchia / DSL Studio