Daniel Canogar. Phloem

The energy mix in Germany as a fabric of pixels: As part of the exhibition »Pixelweaver« by Daniel Canogar (*1964, Madrid) at the EnBW company’s headquarters in Karlsruhe, ZKM presents the data-based animation »Phloem« (2023) by the Spanish-American media artist on an LED wall in the foyer.

The work visualizes the energy mix in Germany in real time as a continuously changing composition. The algorithm programmed by the artist’s team accesses daily updated data available on the Internet, tracking the amount of megawatts of electricity available from various sources, including hydropower, gas, oil, waste incineration, wind, geothermal energy, solar energy, biomass, nuclear power, and coal. The animation based on this data shows the energy map of Germany as a fragile, decentralized network of sources which changes according to weather conditions and the time of day or night. 

The work’s title is a botanical term that references the living tissue that transports nutrients created by photosynthesis to various parts of the plant. At the same time, the artist visualizes in his work the technological infrastructures that serve and sustain the everyday life of our society — like the data streams that underlie Canogar’s generative artwork and constantly create and shape it anew.