When we talk about the factors which have influenced the
history of humankind, one concept claims more and more of
our attention: energy. An invisible force with a wide range of
sources and uses, energy is perceived as the driving force behind
all life, from the vitality of the individual on one end of the
spectrum to the geopolitical power struggles of the modern
age on the other.Adopting a fundamentally artistic approach,
Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller have investigated the
concept of energy for several years. Working on their «Chronology
of Energy and Art-Related Developments», they have
ushered in the new era of «Post-Petrolism» for the arts on the
basis of research conducted on the forgotten sidelines of a
history of energy which, for the last hundred years, has been
largely written by fossil fuels.One of these sidelines is at the
heart of their work for this year’s Cairo Biennale: the world’s
first ever large-scale solar power generator which was operated
in el –Ma‘adi near Cairo between 1912 and 1914. The
stories surrounding its short existence are becoming increasingly
relevant again; after all, reviving them means thinking
about our present and future.
