The sun as a cosmic battery. "Have a nice day" at Solar Biennale 2 by Common Accounts

The architectural and spatial practice research studio Common Accounts, directed by Igor Bragado and Miles Gertler, presents "Have a Nice Day" in the exhibition Soleil-s. Curated by Scott Longfellow and Rafael Santianez, the project is part of Solar Biennale 2 at the Musée de Design et d'Arts Appliqués, MUDAC, in Lausanne.

Energized by motion sensors, "Have a Nice Day" is conceived as a solar device suspended inside the museum, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in its warmth, sound, and light frequencies. Thanks to the support of the Spanish Embassy in Switzerland and the Canadian Embassy in Switzerland, the exhibition has been acquired for the Museum's permanent collection.

Installation Photos. "Have a Nice Day" by Common Accounts. Photograph courtesy by Common Accounts.

The installation "Have a Nice Day" developed by the Common Accounts team examines, through a solar canopy, the multiple perceptions of the sun in relation to optimization, self-design, planetarity, technology, and everyday life.

"The installation considers the sun as a cosmic battery whose rays can increasingly be replicated and directed toward myriad purposes."

Miles Gertler, Common Account.

Fabrication Photos. "Have a Nice Day" by Common Accounts. Photograph courtesy by ArtWorks / Bruno Lança.

Inspired by the sun's own dichotomy as a source of life and danger, the project highlights the multiplicity of purposes surrounding solar radiation, such as cellular rehabilitation, anti-aging, and fertility enhancement.

"The project troubles the psycho-social associations with the sun in the age of climate change and channels them into sensible, energetic encounters in the space of the gallery."

Igor Bragado, Co-Director of Common Accounts.

Installation Photos. "Have a Nice Day" by Common Accounts. Photograph courtesy by Common Accounts.

The installation, rooted in the philosophies of cosmism and Georges Bataille, was fabricated in Portugal by ArtWorks. Research for the proposal was conducted by Marie-Ellen Houde-Hostland, Emilie Tamtik, and Elizaveta Grishina.

The piece includes videos edited by Andrew Gilbride and features a sonification of the sun produced by Dr. Alexander Kosovichev at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) using data collected by the Solar Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft, a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA.

Installation Photos. "Have a Nice Day" by Common Accounts. Photograph couFabrication Photos. "Have a Nice Day" by Common Accounts. Photograph courtesy by ArtWorks / Bruno Lança. rtesy by Common Accounts.

Research Clips. "Have a Nice Day" by Common Accounts. Photograph courtesy by Common Accounts.

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More information

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Exhibition

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Have a Nice Day.

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Authors

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Common Accounts.- Igor Bragado, Miles Gertler.

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Curators

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Scott Longfellow, Rafael Santianez.

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Collaborators

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Project Support.- The Embassy of Spain in Switzerland; the Embassy of Canada in Switzerland.
Fabrication.- ArtWorks.
Programming.- João Ferreira.
Common Accounts Research Team.- Marie-Ellen Houde-Hostland, Emilie Tamtik, Elizaveta Grishina.
Solar Sonification.- Dr. Alexander Kosovichev (NJIT) using data collected by the Solar Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft, a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA.

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Area

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9.9 x 9.9m.

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Dates

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21.03 > 21.09.2025.

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Location

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Soleil-s, Solar Biennale 2. Musée de Design et d'Arts Appliqués Contemporains, MUDAC, Lausana, Switzerland.

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Photography

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ArtWorks / Bruno Lança, Common Accounts.

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Video Editing

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Andrew Gilbride.

Igor Bragado, Miles Gertler. COMMON ACCOUNTS

Common Accounts is an experimental design studio based in Madrid and Toronto directed by Igor Bragado (Gernika, Spain, 1985. Lives and works in Madrid, Spain) and Miles Gertler (Toronto, Canada, 1990. Lives and works in Toronto, Canada). They explore situations where design intelligence is abundant but under the radar. Trained in architecture but working fluidly between art and design, they channel cultural, technological, and historiographical material into radical architectural proposals, using speculative fiction and drawing upon social narratives and practices from the past to project alternative systems and futures. They shape environments and consult, teach, and inquire into the immediate future of architecture. The studio’s output often materializes in reports, narratives, building, image, installation, and video.

The work of Common Accounts has been recognized with The Architectural League Prize, The Rome Prize from Real Academia de España en Roma, in T Magazine Spain’s 2019 list of influential designers, and in Platform Architecture‘s 2022 round up of 40 under 40 European design practices. Recent exhibitions featuring the work of Common Accounts include Foodscapes, The Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2023); Greater Toronto Art 2021 at MOCA (Toronto); A Section of Now at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (Montreal, 2021); or (Re)Design Death at the Cube Museum (Kerkrade, NL, 2020). Miles Gertler is Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at the University of Toronto, and Igor Bragado is Adjunct Professor of Design at IE University in Madrid.

Published on: June 1, 2025

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metalocus, AGUSTINA BERTA

"The sun as a cosmic battery. "Have a nice day" at Solar Biennale 2 by Common Accounts" METALOCUS. Accessed

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