maël henaff creates the 'sea money maker' to mine cryptocurrency through tidal energy

for a project titled ‘democratising technology’, designer maël henaff has collaborated with a small community in the UK town of jaywick to create a practical workshop where local people could learn skills in cryptocurrency mining. as a village dealing with high levels of unemployment, mostly due to the insurgence of automation, the initiative aims to provide residents with a supplementary income while also stimulating debate on new technologies and the future of automation in workplaces. 

danny sloggett – leader of jaywick’s community, installing the ‘sea money maker’

all images courtesy of maël henaff

the project centers around the design of the ‘sea money maker’. the small device floats on the water off the coast of jaywick and mines cryptocurrency by harnessing tidal energy. just one of these gadgets generates approximately £0.90 per day for the community, helping to alleviate the financial burden caused by unemployment. 

the project places a huge focus on helping the small community and also includes a series of interviews with local residents. as can be seen, the discussions highlight the current lack of understanding, and sometimes fearful attitudes, towards emerging technologies. by going to jaywick, where 60% of the population are out of work, the project by henaff ultimately strives to give technology to the people and support the many, not the few.

one ‘sea money maker’ generates approximately £0.90 a day

natalie smith – interviews with the community on emerging technologies and their impact on jaywick

danny sloggett

dan casey 

darren smith

ellie richardson

jaywick coast

darren smith – setting up the sea money maker as part of an open workshop

a fully functional ‘sea money maker’ sitting on the sea

project info:

project name: ‘democratising technology’

design: maël henaff

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom