For this speculative project, I became interested in how Irish society is going to interact and co-exist with the huge array of wind energy production proposed to be built off the West coast of the island, into the future. To achieve this in a sympathetic manner I looked to the indigenous cultures of Polynesia, and how they navigated and lived in harmony with their oceanic environment. From this research I discovered their didactic ways of mapping their environment. Applying this to the Irish context I designed metaphorical totem poles to teach future generations of need for resourcefulness and sustainability. Using a tensegrity structure based upon the human spine, I designed these vertical-axis wind turbines to be light and airy, with a reduced amount of steel to traditional offshore wind turbines. Designing these turbine I always kept in mind the context in which they would sit. On the Atlantic with only the sky and the ocean, the horizon becomes a powerful defining feature. I envisage these turbines partially as in a gridded format but also as a sequence of navigational waypoints for those brave enough to sail out into the Atlantic and enjoy these spinning sentinels up close.
