In 2025, musician and researcher David collaborated with Indonesian artist Ikbal to develop Circle of Power, an experimental project that investigates how musical performance can generate renewable energy through physical interaction with instruments. Working together in Manchester, the artists explored ways of transforming everyday mechanical movement into small amounts of electrical power that could be used in a live performance context.
Over two weeks of studio work, the collaborators combined their ideas and technical approaches. Ikbal introduced the concept of using bicycle dynamos to generate renewable energy while playing the guitar, while David experimented with piezo transducers that produce voltage through touch and vibration. Together, they also discovered that small motors attached to the guitar could generate electricity when manually rotated.
Through a series of tests and electronic experiments, the team explored how different energy sources could be combined to charge a battery and power elements within the performance. Alongside these technical explorations, they developed a performance incorporating sound, electronics, and lighting experiments, which was presented to audiences at the end of the project. The British Council spoke with David and Ikbal about their collaboration, the challenges they encountered, and the future possibilities emerging from the project.
British Council (BC): How did the project go, and how did the partnership unfold?
David Birchall (DB): The project went extremely well. We both initially worked separately in our respective countries to develop ideas for the collaboration, and this became the foundation for the first week of the project. We shared the ideas we had independently developed, discussed them together, tested them, and helped each other find ways to move them forward.
The first week involved a lot of electronics experiments, building devices, and testing ideas together. We found that Ikbal’s idea of using bicycle dynamos as a renewable power source while playing music could be developed reliably. Likewise, my idea of using piezo transducers to generate small voltages through touch also worked well.
While working in the studio, we also discovered that by using a small motor on the guitar we could manually generate electricity by turning the motor in reverse. We tested how these different energy sources could be used to charge a battery and were able to prove that this is possible. However, we still need to develop this further in the next stage of the project.
In the second week, we focused more on creating a performance that presented the ideas we had developed through our electronics and light experiments. This process was very enjoyable, and we felt we were able to create a strong piece of work that connected the themes and ideas closely with the artistic form. On the final day of the project, we also received a very positive response and had engaging discussions with the audience.
BC: What is the main message or new understanding you gained from this project?
DB: One of the most memorable aspects for me was how enjoyable it was to welcome a collaborator visiting my city of Manchester. Ikbal’s presence gave me a new perspective on my own city, community, and colleagues.
We also discovered many shared interests and ways of thinking, not only in our work but also outside of it. At the same time, we enjoyed how we come from very different cultures. I think Ikbal also found the experience enriching meeting new people and building new connections.
BC: Were there any changes or challenges during the project?
DB: One of the main challenges was the limitation of time. Some of the ideas we wanted to develop would have required much more time.
One of our main focuses was building electrical circuits that could store the energy generated from playing the guitar. The dynamos, motors, and piezo devices could generate energy, but we wanted to be able to charge a battery effectively. By the end of the second week, we realised we could easily spend the entire following week working on this. However, we decided to pause this area of development so we would still have time to prepare the performance.
There was also another challenge that nearly caused the project to end before it even began. When Ikbal arrived at Manchester Airport, he discovered that the UK authorities in Indonesia had put the wrong date on his visa. Fortunately, he was able to convince the officials to correct it, and he was eventually allowed to enter the UK. There were a few tense hours when we were unsure whether he would be able to enter the country.
BC: Share an anecdote or highlight from your journey.
DB: Ikbal was very keen to visit a flea market in the UK, so on the first Sunday we went to a large car boot sale at Smithfield Market in Manchester.
It was a great experience for me because I hadn’t visited anything like that in my own city for many years. The market was very diverse, with people from all over the world selling many different kinds of items.
My favourite part was that you could bargain with the sellers, which is quite unusual for me in the UK. We found a stall selling camera flashes. At first the price was quite high, so we walked away. When we returned later, the trader offered us a much better deal: three flashes for ten pounds. These were the flashes we later used in the performance. I really enjoyed seeing Manchester from Ikbal’s perspective.
