Berlin-based artist Ralf Schmerberg has constructed an awe-inspiring igloo made almost entirely of old refrigerators in the center of Hamburg, Germany. What appears as a Dada-esque construction filled with absurd little vignettes is actually a statement on the insane amount energy we consume — to prove it, there is a giant electrical meter hooked up to the igloo which displays its waste of energy.
The 11 meter-wide igloo is made from 322 old refrigerators attached to a metal frame and placed in the middle of Gänsemarkt. Inside is an absurdist paradise of gadgets, fans, Toys, toasters, a TV set with a roaring fire on, and an inflatable mushroom cloud. A plaque with nice little list of what went into the project includes “35 pairs of gloves, 487 sandwiches by mommy, and 120 leisure-time beers.”
Old refrigerators are a huge source of energy consumption in the western world. They may not look much different on the outside, but on the inside a new efficient refrigerator may consume half the electricity a unit using ten year-old technology. Expanding on this point, the Fridge Igloo offers a bounty of absurd energy waste and wacky references to our over-dependence on all things that plug in. Sponsored by the local utility company, the installation demonstrates how energy efficiency and awareness are the most easily accessible forms of green energy. Check out this little video to see it under construction.
+ Ralf Schmerberg
Via Moritz Bappert
Lead Image © Axel Bruns
loveee
It’s great that newer refrigerators are more efficient, but what is the consumer to do about it? Go out and spend money they don’t have on a new fridge that will eventually save its cost over the next 10 years?
I don’t have the money to just up and buy a new fridge, and I know I’m not alone in this. So unless the people funding these crazy stunts would rather take that money and put out rebates for new fridge purchases, stop trying to guilt us into spending money we don’t have. If I had unlimited funds I’d have super efficient fridges, dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer, electric car, etc. Unfortunately the world doesn’t work that way, so until then I’m stuck with what I’ve got.