An initiative of artist Rosalie Apituley, the Summer Ice Rink playfully explores what our future energy culture might look like. For what happens if we adjust our rhythms to the supply of sun and wind? Can we learn to live with both abundance and scarcity of sustainable energy? With an ice rink in the middle of spring, that question suddenly becomes surprisingly tangible.
The timing of the project is no coincidence. It is precisely at this time of year that peaks in solar energy increasingly occur that the Dutch power grid can barely handle. Instead of letting that excess energy go to waste, the Summer Ice Rink uses these surpluses to make ice. A temporary battery of ice, in other words, on which visitors can skate together.
But like real natural ice, it remains exciting. Opening hours depend on energy supply and weather conditions. With sufficient sunshine, the ice rink will run daily from noon to 6 p.m., with the official opening at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 29. Is there less energy available? Then the program changes and conversations, art and interactive activities take center stage. In doing so, the Summer Ice Rink lets visitors experience how dynamic the energy system of the future can be.
“Maybe the future is not about always having more energy, but learning to move with what the sun gives us.”
The combination of sustainability, art, technology and typical Dutch skating culture makes the Summer Ice Rink one of this spring's most striking events in Amsterdam. Right next to the iconic Olympic Stadium, a place is being created for five days where climate issues do not remain abstract, but become tangible on the ice.
For Amsterdam residents curious about the future of energy - or simply want to say they once skated on solar power - this is an experience you won't soon forget.