This exhibit is at the crossroads of an ornamental item made for the garden, and a banal architectural object shared by the locals. The exhibit uses the principle of capturing energy from decomposing garden waste. The energy is released in the form of heat and circulates in three hydraulic sculptures as a tribute to the methods of Jean Pain in the 1970s. This energy micro-station operates by placing wood chips in the stainless-steel tank to exploit their calorific potential. A heat exchanger is placed in the centre of the tank.
The organic materials are added and soaked in water to form a digester which activates the thermophilic bacteria. The digester is regularly fed with organic matter produced by the gardeners. At the end of the decomposition cycle, the compost that emains is used as a fertiliser. Bacteria are part of the fermentation process of organic matter. Heat is created in the centre of the tank, where the wood chips become a powerful generator of energy.
The three tubular sculptures filled with water are positioned around this central shape and heat circulates around these hand-made sculptures using the thermosyphon effect.
Visitors can interact with the sculptures, touch them, experiment with them, or even sit on them to contemplate the landscape.
The artist
François Dufeil