Artist Statement:
Done in the style of the animated explanatory videos which can be readily found on the internet, this animation serves to explain how Middlebury College gets its heat and electricity. It is also meant to function as an introduction to the SSL project on setting priorities for Middlebury’s energy future. I recall being told over J-Term that we were gaining a deeper understanding of many areas of the energy sector than most, and it is my hope that this animation makes some of the information we were exposed to more accessible to more people.
My notebook from J-Term has many small drawings accompanying the notes I took during presentations. I recall one presentation in particular that used a simple cartoon infographic to explain biomethane and RINs. It did a good job of breaking up a complex process into memorable and clear graphic representations. The drawings helped me understand what the pieces looked like and how they are related; it stuck with me and ultimately served as precedent for my own drawings of that piece of our system.
I worked with my peers and Jack Byrne to take the information provided to us over J-Term -- papers, other diagrams and infographics, presentations, and conversations with experts -- and distill it into an engaging and explanatory narrative. My goal was to take a medium that resonated with me, drawings and diagrams, and apply it to the specifics of the Middlebury College energy system. I know that many of us enjoyed getting to know our school and its systems better during our internship; hopefully others can now share in that experience.
Max Borrmann