ENTERING THE WORLD OF MEDIAMATIC
On the 12 of July, 2017 we visited Mediamatic for the first time. Their giant name on the rooftop and creative decoration caught our attention before we even reached the venue. Upon arrival, we learned that Mediamatic is more than just a hipster restaurant and colorful greenhouses; it is an organization that strives for the artistic expression of biology, science, and, most importantly, food.
Mediametic Amsterdam Photo credit: Viktoria Balandina
According to their official website, Mediamatic was founded in 1983. Ever since then, the institution has been dedicated to organizing lectures, workshops and art projects in a strong international network. Their interest in experimenting with new (living) materials led to several projects about food and waste, amongst which, the famous aquaponic system.
Following their principles of sustainability, Mediamatic’s aquaponics grows vegetables and fish in a greenhouse. The food extracted from the greenhouse is then served at their restaurant, to satisfy foodies’ palates. However, the aquaponic system is not fully self-sufficient. Maaike, the Program and Event Manager of Mediamatic, informed us that the system still uses outside electricity. So we decided to look for some of the alternative energy options in order to close the loop.
A-WHAT?-PONICS
We know that Mediamatic has an aquaponic system that both entices localvores’ appetites and challenges current food system, but what is aquaponics? The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines it as the following:
Aquaponics nutrients chain. Own material
“integration of recirculating aquaculture and hydroponics in one production system. In an aquaponic unit, water from the fish tank cycles through filters, plant grow beds and then back to the fish. […] The biofilter provides a location for bacteria to convert ammonia, which is toxic for fish, into nitrate, a more accessible nutrient for plants. […] As the water (containing nitrate and other nutrients) travels through plant grow beds the plants uptake these nutrients, and finally the water returns to the fish tank purified. This process allows the fish, plants, and bacteria to thrive symbiotically and to work together to create a healthy growing environment for each other, provided that the system is properly balanced.”
Mediamatic also provides its own definition of aquaponics. They call it their own urban agriculture system:
“Aquaponics is a way to sustainably produce food in the city, because it hardly takes up any space. Plants and fish are cultivated together. The fish excrete ammonia which gets transformed by bacteria into nitrate. The nitrate serves as fertilizer for the plants.”
MEDIAMATIC’S AQUAPONICS
Andrei and his greenhouse. Photo credit: Sophie Valcour
In order to assess the viability of alternative energy, we talked to Andrei, the head of aquaponics at Mediamatic. He introduced us the fundamental energy system for their aquaponics, excusing himself for his limited knowledge due to the incipience of his working experience with Mediamatic.
“This is the reservoir…there are two pumps. You see they are not very big. Perhaps we can even see the voltage on this one…” Andrei explained to us as he pulled out the pumps from the water. The two pumps, the thermometer, and roughly 14 LED lights were all what require electricity. In addition, Willem, the founder of Mediamatic informed us that most of the energy is used for heating purpose.
Plants at Mediamatic’s aquaponics Photo credit: Sophie Valcour
Observing Mediamatic’s aquaponic, we noted that its energy consumption is moderately low. In fact, agreeing with Andrei’s suggestion, some of the LED lights could be removed given sufficient sunlight exposure. The vertically grown plants are somewhat connected by a pipe in which fertilizer goes through each plant pot. The African catfish stayed perfectly still in the tank until Andrei sprinkled some pellets in the water. The warm greenhouse seems to provide a perfect environment for plants to grow.
All of this indicated that the system is fairly autonomous, except the fact that they introduce outside energy to provide electricity for the aforementioned tools and equipment. “Previous research has concluded that, given our short term stay here, there is no way to amortize investments in proprietary alternative energy.” Willem said. The temporal-spatial factors given in this context urge us to find alternative energy options that are both economical and transportable.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OPTIONS
Wind Turbines
Wind turbine concept. Artwork by Viktoria Balandina
The geographic advantage of the Netherlands makes it an ideal place to develop wind-powered energy. Wind turbines are commonplace in the countryside and even in urban areas.
Pro
Wind is free and in this location due to the train track there will always be a constant supply. Once the turbine is built, no greenhouse gases or pollutants are produced. Wind turbines don’t take up too much space.
Con
Strength of wind is not constant, so it may not produce the same quantity of energy at all times. Wind turbines can be loud. Manufacture of wind turbines can create pollution.
PV Panels
PV Panel Concept. Artwork by Viktoria Balandina
This is one of the most popular alternative energy sources throughout the world.
Pro
Solar Photovoltaic panels are fueled by natural sources and can be made possible anywhere with a light source. The panels are stationary and therefore there are little costs for repairs. PV panels are create no noise, and are very easy to install.
Con
They don’t collect energy in the night time or on days with low UV. PV panels are expensive and despite being stationary and less likely to break, they are still very fragile and the insurance is very high. They take up lots of space and aren’t very efficient.
Bicycles
Bike Energy Concept. Artwork by Viktoria Balandina
Due the culture of bike riding in Holland, we thought why not harness this energy as cycling is so common and such a large part of Dutch culture.
Pro
Lots of people cycle every day, to and from work so we would have a constant flow of energy being created. 17 people work at mediamatic not including interns, so we could transfer this energy into energy to run the aquaponics.
Con
The batteries used to harness the energy are bad for the environment. The bikes don’t accumulate much energy. You would have the base quantity of people cycling to work, but some people may not hire bikes, especially if it rains, or in winter.
Water from the irrigation system
Porposal space for water energy. Photo credit: Sophie Valcour
This idea was inspired by our conversation with Andrei, who thought it would be a good idea to harness the running water that is constantly flowing through the aquaponic system.
Pro
There is a constant flow of water flowing through the aquaponic system, so we can harness this constant energy source, we would have energy as long as the system is running. Uses the energy that is already in the system. Low cost to make.
Con
Small, so not a large quantity of energy generated. Could easily break and would most likely need to be home made. Needs energy to jump start.
Other alternative energy include biogas and hydropower. Their viability assessment and analysis merit further investigation.
COMMUNICATION LIMITATIONS
Despite the effort we put in research, we faced several challenges. First, it was difficult to find an equilibrium between art and technology when conducting the research. The ethos of Mediamatic should not be compromised.
Butterfly in the greenhouse. Photo credit: Sophie Valcour
Second, our team background heavily inclines towards social sciences and liberal arts. The lack of engineering expertise resulted in scarcity in technicality. However, because of our (in)experience, we were able to think outside the box.
Third, and perhaps the most crucial element that impeded our research, the communication limitations. Some Mediamatic members rendered inaccessible when we asked for information in person and via e-mail. When questions were finally posed, staff either redirected us to other members or referred them as a service that would cost extra.
Regardless, our research did not go straight to the dumpster as we explored a new field of knowledge. Now all we need are some tech-savvy engineers and understanding insiders to help fulfil our dream.
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