Powering the Future

Powering the Future is an appealing new destination, en route to the UNESCO heritage site fiingvellir, and located on the banks of the Sog river, where the water that fuels the power station is a present and powerful force.

You Are Energy is the first installation to greet the visitor, setting the tone for the visit. Consisting of a big, interactive concrete wall that illuminates from within when force is applied to it, visitors are invited to test their strength and induce an explosion. The Lightning is an interactive table with positive and negative particles that attract each other, but repel their own kind. Visitors collect the negatives, causing an imbalance that creates a bolt of thundering lightning. Örsted’s Compass reconstructs Örsted’s experiment, where the relationship between electric and magnetic power that enables the mass production of electricity was discovered. The Reservoir lets visitors pump virtual water to fill a reservoir, showing them how the energy required to fill the reservoir becomes stored energy that can be used to power appliances by capturing the energy of falling water. The Generator is a reconstruction of a typical generator, allowing visitors to create an oscillating current for light bulbs through the turning of a wheel. The Power Station is a powerful sound and kinetic light sculpture consisting of a representation of a hydro- and geothermal power plant. Wind Power gives visitors the chance to compete with each other through harnessing wind. Energy of the World is a tangible timeline in the form of a round rotating table that reviews the major milestones and discoveries in the history of electrical production. What Do You Think? is a Think Tank encouraging visitors to reflect on energy issues once they have moved through the exhibition.

Design Team

Gagarín og (exhibition design), Tvihorf (interior design), Gagarin (XGD and interactive multimedia) 

Project Area

3,000 sq ft

Consultants

Jón Cleon Sigurðsson (supervision on behalf of Landsvirkjun), Davíð Jónsson (supervision of construction on behalf of Landsvirkjun), Stefán Pálsson (script), Flemming Madsen (script)

Fabricators

Tré og straumur (construction and wiring), Járnsmiðja Óðis (Construction of exhibits), Logoflex (printing), Nýherji (equipment)