Good Energy Tree by Jon Taylor and Karl Unnasch in Downtown Silver Spring

Karl Unnasch -- Public Art, Stained Glass and Sculpture

Good Energy Tree

Karl Unnasch — Public Art, Stained Glass and Sculpture

A Holiday “Tree” Celebrating Clean Power

Special thanks go out to:

· Peterson Companies

· Downtown Silver Spring

· Laurie Yankowski

· ENJOINERY

· Jon Taylor

· Suzy Slater

· Luis Alvarado & Crew

· Nina Corin

· Nathan Barnhart, Rec Sports at UW—La Crosse

· Nicole Huss

Focused on the power and possibilities of renewable energies, this 35-foot-tall holiday art installation was accoutered with an array of bicycles as well as several solar panels and a wind-powered topper.

Twelve stationary bicycles around the base of the tree were open to passersby. Connected to a 300w generator, these provided power to battery banks that helped to power the lights on the tree. Gauges and light clusters in front of each bike showed how much power was being produced. The bicycles also had USB ports for charging one’s cell phone.

The bikes on the tree were all donated to a local non-profit at the end of the season.

In the breezeway leading to the nearby parking garage were some whimsical sculptures taken from the bicycle theme: Suspended from the arched ceiling, various wheels, gears, pulleys and frame parts lazily revolved in choreographed arcs. Multi-colored plexiglass panels were interlaced into the spokes and lit from above, creating a dazzling array of patterns projected onto the floor. All the components in
these works of art were sourced from various bike rehabilitation programs.

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