Ever wonder how those trendy solar panels actually produce energy? The new Sun Pavilion at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., features a series of interactive exhibits that offer some meaningful insight into such minutiae as DC–AC conversions. The pavilion was erected in just 81 days, to run in conjunction with the museum’s “Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939” exhibit. Inspired by such pioneers as Nikola Tesla, who curated an exhibit about electricity for the 1893 Chicago fair, local architecture firm Generator Studio constructed the pavilion using recycled materials such as scaffolding, shipping containers, and visitor-contributed items. The structure, which is outfitted with 150 solar panels, is off-grid, and most of its materials can be repurposed after the exhibition ends. Through Aug. 19. •. nelson-atkins.org
