Marjan van Aubel
Marjan van Aubel is a Dutch designer whose pioneering practice explores the intersection of sustainability, technology, and design through the lens of solar energy. Based in Amsterdam, she has developed a distinctive approach that transforms sunlight into both a functional and aesthetic medium, integrating solar technology into everyday objects such as furniture, lighting, and architectural elements.
A graduate of the Royal College of Art and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, van Aubel has collaborated with scientists and institutions to create works that challenge conventional perceptions of renewable energy, positioning it as a poetic and experiential force. Her projects, exhibited internationally and held in major museum collections, aim to redefine our relationship with energy by embedding it seamlessly into daily life, advocating for a future where sustainability and beauty are intrinsically connected.
Interview
Born and raised in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands. I have spent most of my life living and working in Amsterdam and London, though, so I guess I’m mostly from there.
This I remember vividly. It made a huge impression on me. During high school, I once visited one of my favourite museums, De Pont Museum in Tilburg, the Netherlands. There was a work by Anish Kapoor that blew my mind. It was a circle created with very dark black pigments that gave the impression of a very deep hole. I found it incredibly powerful — such a new approach to what you can create with colour, or the absence of it. It really helped me understand what art could be.
Yes, it was all I ever wanted — and still is. Even though the field, or market, or whatever you want to call it, is not really my thing, the work and exploration most definitely are.
For me, essentially, it is about telling stories through objects. It has always been about something “more” than just nice design — not that there is anything wrong with that, but what truly makes me tick is the narrative of a better future. My designs generally sit at the intersection of functionality, poetry, and change — a sense of positivity expressed through creativity.
My creative process is based on exchange and collaboration — the experience of a journey. When you begin, you never quite know where it will lead or how you will reach the destination. I cannot fully organise the trip or anticipate what will happen and when; I need to remain constantly open to change.
My influences come from everywhere and everything, both conscious and subconscious, I would say. Like those ants that are foragers.
Well, a typical day at the studio is not really typical. But if anything, I do prefer to focus on creative work in the morning, and meetings and the like in the afternoon. Magical mornings.
I like to think of an input and output in my work, so that the harvested energy can be applied. This is the most technical part of what I do.
Working with sunlight is very particular. First, the sun needs to be up and, so to say, within sight, otherwise there is no radiance to be received. Then, of course, the surface heats up, which can cause all kinds of problems. The next particularities involve capturing energy, storing it, and bringing it back into the design in a certain form. I mean, all the technology is there, but not really for the kind of designs we envision.
These materials are active and activating, harvesting energy through sunlight. To me, this is pure magic. The real material, as I see it, is solar energy itself, sunlight. Like a ceramicist uses clay as their material, I work with sunlight.
Current Table © Mitch Payne
The world has questions
We should desire and design new answers
always sunny side up.
Be in workshops as much as possible, learn from others, and collaborate.
The Solar Movement 🙂
Hella Jongerius, Anni and Josef Albers, Lina Bo Bardi.
Soft Baroque, Formafantasma, Crafting Plastics, Objects of Common Interest.
James Turrell, Nick Verstand, Iris van Herpen, Boris Acket.
Solarizing.
The Sun, My Heart © Amy Gwatkin
“Like a ceramicist uses clay, I work with sunlight.”
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
That it’s temporary.
Fear itself.
My impatience.
Greed.
David Attenborough.
Books.
Revitalising.
Getting things done.
“All will be fine.”
Listening.
Let’s do it.
To fly.
My impatience.
Starting a Solar Movement.
A light particle.
On earth, without war or greed.
Time.
No hope.
Solar Designer.
Positivity.
8 min 20 sec (Lexus) © Steve Benisty
Cyanometer (Swarovski) © Mark Cocksedge
Their depth.
Currently: Sarah Housley.
Nausicaä.
Leonardo da Vinci.
The people who change things but remain unseen.
Zaza.
Broken systems.
Things happen.
In peace.
Design your life!
“The world has questions, we should desire and design new answers, always sunny side up.”
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