Sun-following Solar Bot, Alex Nathanson (2025)

Build a Solar-Powered Sculpture

Join us for a hands-on workshop presented as part of Retooling: Art, Ecology, & Climate Adaptation, a three-week exhibition and public program by MESH_ARTS in collaboration with BioBAT Art Space, and an official CLIMATE WEEK NYC event.

Explore how art can work with natural forces as you build your own solar-powered mechanical sculpture that follows the sun. Participants will learn simple techniques for creating devices that turn, move, and reposition themselves as light changes throughout the day.

No prior experience necessary. Come build, experiment, and integrate solar power into your life/practice.

Starting at 3 pm, after the workshop, you’re welcome to attend Retooling Lightning Presentations—an afternoon of short presentations by artists, researchers, NYU students, and alumni exploring ecological tools, creative experimentation, and new approaches to climate adaptation.

LOCATION: MESH_ARTS at the Old American Can Factory, 232 3rd St. Gallery C302, Brooklyn, NY, 11215

Alex Nathanson is an artist, designer, technologist, and educator. His work is focused on exploring both the experimental and practical applications of sustainable energy technologies, particularly solar power. He is the founder of the education and art platform Solar Power for Artists and its partner studio, Energy Transition Design LLC. The mission of both organizations is to make sustainable energy accessible, tactile, and understandable. He co-created the Solar Protocol project, which was awarded fellowships from Eyebeam and Mozilla, and been nominated for an Ars Electronica S+T+ARTS prize. His book A History of Solar Power Art and Design (Routledge, 2021) was the first interdisciplinary history of the field. His forthcoming book, Make: Solar Circuits for Artists, is a collection of solar power art project tutorials and will be released in November 2026 by Make.