The European journey of UNPLUGGED began in Szczecin, Poland, where the exhibition was first introduced during the CIRCOTRONIC partnership meeting in January 2024.
After its opening at the Scandinavian House, the exhibition moved to the Regional Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer in Szczecin, where it was presented from February to April 2024. The venue was especially well suited to the aims of CIRCOTRONIC because it connects business and science and supports technology transfer, research funding and academic entrepreneurship. It also regularly hosts conferences, seminars, training sessions and business meetings.
This setting allowed UNPLUGGED to reach a broad professional and academic audience. Visitors included business professionals, senior executives, scientists, students and startup entrepreneurs. An estimated 5,000 peopleencountered the exhibition during its stay at the Regional Centre.
Placed in a space associated with innovation and technology transfer, UNPLUGGED introduced a different kind of question into the everyday environment of the Centre. Instead of focusing only on technological progress, it invited visitors to reflect on the amount of energy we use, the growing presence of electrical and electronic devices in our lives, electronic waste and the need for more circular relationships with technology.
The response of visitors showed that simple, symbolic elements could open the conversation effectively. According to the exhibition report, audiences reacted particularly strongly to the idea of “unplugging” and temporarily disconnecting from electrical and electronic devices. The exhibition’s oversized plush plug became one of its most memorable elements and attracted particular attention.
The Szczecin presentation demonstrated how an exhibition can complement a centre dedicated to innovation by adding another dimension to technological discussion: not only what new technologies can do, but also how we want to live with them.
In this sense, the Regional Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer became an important setting for UNPLUGGED — a place where business, research, innovation and design could meet around questions of energy, electronics and circularity.