eatART on the World Stage

"As a global society, our energy situation is dire. "

- Charlie Brinson

According to the team at eatART, Daisy has a simple design, has a simple energy source, a friendly feel, and a gracefulness to it. All of this may be true and according to Charlie Brinson, a member of eatART, “solar electric power is pretty simple really.” Solar power is not a new concept but the means by which humans have been able to harness, and use it, has evolved immensely over the years, leading to this notion of “simpleness.” Perhaps the team at eatART views what they are doing as an awareness program for the environment, but it is possible to view and compare what they have accomplished thus far to that of the Victorians and the British empire as a whole.
The British empire was one of the greatest and strongest empires the world had ever known. It had always prided itself on its navy, and later on its rapid industrialization. One could argue that Britain was on the leading edge of technological advances during its reign, a luxury that many wealthy Victorians exploited by amusing themselves with complex, intricate, and often useless devices. One could argue that Daisy is Victorian-like in its impracticality and almost steampunk in design. John Tippett, another member of eatART, reiterated this notion when he mentioned in our interview, “It’s [Daisy] art. Aside from thrilling and inspiring people, it’s useless.” Aside from the fact that Daisy is primarily designed to thrill, inspire, and educate, one can look farther and compare it to the Victorians and how they were on the leading-edge of science and technology at the time.

"We will be a mecca for radical, technically innovative art, challenging not only the status quo on energy ignorance, but pushing the very boundaries of what people considered art and what they think it’s value is in society."
-John Tippett


The eatART team and their Daisy creation can be seen as representative of how this generation is advancing in science and technology by using innovative ideas. However, the advancements that have been made are owed in part to the Victorian engineers. Another eatART member, Rob Cunningham, said that they had not “taken anything deliberately–but a great deal of technological progress was made during that era and almost anything that moves today owes something to Victorian engineers.” Daisy does not only represent progress of this generation, but shows that Canadian engineering and innovation is among the leaders of the world. Much like how the British or Victorians were constantly trying to invent new devices, Canadians and other nations worldwide have joined in the pursuit of creating their own “Daisy” so-to-speak. One example of how innovation and technology has become a global phenomenon is the World Solar Challenge. This event is a biannual solar-powered car race comprising of teams from universities and enterprises from all over the world who compete over 3,021 kilometers across Australia. It is events like this, as well as events such as Burning Man, where 21st century innovation is showcased and where competition to be among the best is powered.
The eatART team has allowed us to examine and probe one of their prominent technological innovations, which in turn has given us the opportunity to explore our own ideas of how the Victorians are still influencing how humans today try to conjure up new methods that will allow our society to advance and improve upon itself for the future. The drive and determination that the Victorians embodied in their own pursuit of similar advancements is being shown by people of our own generation by the creation of machines such as Daisy. The influence from those Victorian engineers has carried over to the present generation of engineers and scientists, and along with that influence, there has emerged a growing competition for who can create the best or most innovative machine or design. From the perspective of the eatART team, this competition helps to educate people about energy and our environment, but from our perspective, we have been given the unique opportunity to explore the depths of Victorian technology and innovation and the influence it has had on our own generation.

"All this potential and yet we’re at risk of becoming extinct within the next few hundred years due to our own foolishness. What better way to bring people hope for a better future than art? Technology can only do so much. "

-Leigh Christie