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Green Can Still Look Cool

And new Israeli solar panels prove it

by
Len Small
May 14, 2010
Z-10 Concentrated Solar-Power System by Ezri Tarazi and Ori Levin, Tarazi Studio.(ZenithSolar)
Z-10 Concentrated Solar-Power System by Ezri Tarazi and Ori Levin, Tarazi Studio.(ZenithSolar)

The trends in visual design (not to be confused with fashion design or interior design) often follow industry and commerce. So it seems surprising at first that the Cooper-Hewitt Design Triennial, which opens this Friday in New York, has set its beams on environmentalism and sustainability. Even though every business will claim various shades of ‘green’ these days, it seems that the mode has shifted against Al Gore and inconvenient truths to haplessly Twittering our economic collapse, forgoing the luxury of the upsell eco-container for cost-efficient styrofoam.

The Design Triennial, however, stakes a claim in sustainability, and this is reflected quite literally in the work of Professor Ezri Tarazi and Ori Levin, who together as Tarazi Studios are hoping to build a better solar panel. The Z-20 Concentrated Solar Power System, created by ZenithSolar, features prominently in the exhibition, with its expansive, stunning mirrored surface standing out like sublime disco-ball paneling. This system has been developed in Israel; prototypes are currently in use on Kibbutz Yavne. Part of the Z-20’s success comes from using relatively inexpensive materials, such as replacing silicone paneling with simple mirrors. These dishes also make a stunning visual impression: After all, we designers don’t want to ditch fashion completely.

Len Small is Tablet Magazine’s art director.