Ca’ Foscari in Italy, is particularly interested in the use of creative instruments and alternative communication channels to promote a proper understanding and involvement in sustainability issues. Over the past few years, one successful area of activity has been that concerning Art&Sustainability, resulting in projects that stress the link between sustainability and the world of Art, which has close ties to both the City of Venice and some of the University’s main areas of research. The University staged the Dancing Solar Flowers installation in the Cortile Grande [main courtyard] of Palazzo Ca’ Foscari in 2015 during the 56th edition of the Art Biennale. The work was dedicated to renewable energy – especially solar energy – and their potential to meet global energy needs. The installation comprised a lawn made from recycled pallets with about 200 flowers “planted” in and around this. These flowers moved thanks to the solar produced by a small photovoltaic cell. The aim of this installation was to give a familiar and easily understandable face to solar energy, as its full potential is often hard to grasp.
