Apnea propeller grid during the passing of the subway train

When we consider the relationship with between the city and energy, we think mostly of consumption. What if we explored the city as a resource for energy production?

The urban landscape is rich with secondary kinetic sources. In Mexico city, Ivan Abreu installed a grid of 900 propellers, attached by magnets to the metallic grill of the city’s subway vents, shaping a kinetic space and making the flow of air visible.

Apnea installation view, detail

The project was placed in an urban node, the esplanade of the antique building of the Fine Arts Palace (Historic Centre, Mexico city). The project activated the place for weeks, turning it from an invisible and inhospitable passage to a visible and desirable space. The project was extended to the web developing a software application that read the cycles of air, visualizing this dynamic behavior through social network posts about the phases of absence of air, or “apnea”.

What if we extended this approach to harness the incidental wind energy of Boston’s subway? Secondary motion, wind and energy sources go largely untapped. Is there more that can be done?

Public space activation: view of the Fine Arts Palace

View of the installation from the 44 floor of Latinamerican Tower (Center of Mexico city)