A solar panel, purchased from a company suspected of using enslaved Uyghur labor in its production, powers light bulbs that enable the growth of silver nitrate crystals on a glass table. The piece recalls that silver was extracted for analog photography and continues to be used in photovoltaics. It raises the question of the origin of the energy used in the creation of an artwork and attempts to produce a single, unique final image in order to escape overproduction.

Link teaser : [https://vimeo.com/799806174](https://vimeo.com/799806174)  
Crystals evolution (one month) : [http://hugopetigny.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Evolution.mp4](http://hugopetigny.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Evolution.mp4)

Silver electrography

This project is a photographic and photovoltaic installation inspired by Don Quixote. The artist and their partner undertook a bicycle journey to the largest wind farm in France, charging flashlights with the dynamo on their transport. Their goal is to create a photograph in which they will use all the light from these lamps. An audio part tells the story of their journey and its transformation.  
The final photograph is installed in a sculpture using organic solar cells without silicon, powering a nighttime lighting.

Link teaser : [https://vimeo.com/showcase/10747029/video/878255053](https://vimeo.com/showcase/10747029/video/878255053) Audio part (French with english subtitles) (12min)  
Link : [https://youtu.be/Gb2YSUl5j6E](https://youtu.be/Gb2YSUl5j6E)

Resilience, a story around 12,800 watts

Solar World is a video installation whose playback speed is modulated in real time by a solar panel.  
The work reflects on the relationship between the control of electricity and the control of time, by confronting two ways of using electrical energy in nature: that of the electric fish Gnathonemus petersii, which emits impulses with irregular rhythms, and that of the human photovoltaic industry,  
which produces regular and linear rhythms.  
As a whole, the piece explores the future of the electrical sector and the possibility of harmony between technology and the human being.

Link full video (7min47) : [https://youtu.be/2e5Uq6QjwVQ](https://youtu.be/2e5Uq6QjwVQ)  
Link mindmap : [https://kumu.io/Petignyhugo/solar-world#solar-world](https://kumu.io/Petignyhugo/solar-world#solar-world)

SOLAR WORLD

is a sound installation.  
You are invited to enter this space, take a break, and listen to the story of an impossible love between the Gudenå River and the Tange Power Plant in Danemark.

The installation consists of two metal tubes. One of them is filled with water, which slowly drips out. A water sensor measures the water level and affects the speed of the sound: the more water flows out, the slower the narration becomes. When the tube is empty, the sound becomes indistinct and then stops.

The tube is refilled three times a day: in the morning, at noon, and in the late afternoon.  
The mechanism is inspired by the clepsydra, an ancient water clock used to measure time and known since Antiquity.

The project is a prototype work created during the three month Riddergade AIR residency at Viborg Kunsthal. It explores the connections between energy production, the experience of time, and the social changes associated with the history of electricity.

Link trailer (1min) : [https://vimeo.com/1197382859?share=copy&flfl=sv&fe=ci](https://vimeo.com/1197382859?share=copy&flfl=sv&fe=ci)  
Link audio (24 min) : [http://hugopetigny.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/The-story-tell-by-the-water-\_FINAL\_FINAL.mp3](http://hugopetigny.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/The-story-tell-by-the-water-_FINAL_FINAL.mp3)

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