A 15m high beacon of wind-powered light on London's Southbank, commissioned by onedotzero
Following the success of Wind to Light, onedotzero commissioned Jason Bruges Studio to design and build a new outdoor installation that could visualise the potential of renewable energies.
Jason Bruges kicked off the project at onedotzero_cascade 2008 with a series of student workshops that explored the possibility of tapping into the city's unseen energy streams.
The results of these workshops was Aeolian tower - a 15m steel structure erectednext to Waterloo Bridge during onedotzero_adventures in motion 2008 festival. The tower was covered with 1200 tiny wind-powered LEDs; each one made of a plastic turbine, controlling circuits and three red LEDs. As wind blew over the tower, swirling patterns of light revealed the strength and direction of the breeze. A gentle wind of about 3mph (4.8kph) is needed for the lights to reach full brightness.
The particular location was chosen because of the complex wind patterns that come off the River Thames and the bridge. Aeolian Tower demonstrated how renewable energy can be used to power sustainable art and design and by visualising the invisible, drew attention to how much energy is freely available but is not being used.
