Energy harvesting is no novel concept, ubiquitously represented by solar power, which is one of the most easily available and powerful sources of ambient energy. Techniques for harvesting energy from other sources, for example, temperature differentials, radio frequencies, or vibration, is an active research field, as it allows running low-power devices in environments where readily or long-term access to electricity is absent. With Sound Energy Harvest, Rafaele Andrade and Adam Pultz tap into the vibrational energy created by their electro-acoustic string instruments Knurl and FAAB to power light sources such as LEDs. With the transduction of sonic and musical gesture into light, Sound Energy Harvest, in addition to being an audio-visual performance in its own right, offers an artistic perspective on scales of energy production and consumption. Although the sonic blasts from Knurl and FAAB reach significant volume levels, the energy produced is, at best, modest. From an artistic perspective, this is a creative challenge. Yet, from the perspective of a global economy struggling to wean itself of fossil fuels and transition to other and less destructive sources of energy, the burning question remains, to which extent we will be able to power an energy-intensive society with less dense sources of energy?

How piezoelectric energy harvesting works: Piezoelectric transducers (pickups) placed on the instruments generate small amounts of electricity that get stored on a capacitor (small battery) through the intermediary of an energy harvesting device. When the capacitor has charged sufficiently and the piezoelectric element reaches a sufficient amplitude threshold, the harvester causes the capacitor to discharge the stored energy in a burst. Through different combinations of wiring piezo elements and harvesters, three high-intensity LEDs illuminate fibre-optic cables.

Rafaele Andrade: Knurl
Adam Pultz: FAAB (feedback-actuated augmented bass)

Supported by INM - Initiative Neue Musik Berlin, Fonds podium Kunst, instrument inventors and KODA (Denmark).