Currently, the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich presents “Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project” by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson (born 1967). Olafur Eliasson was commissioned by the car company BMW to design the 16th BMW Art Car. What sets Eliasson’s “car” apart from previous Art Cars is that it is not recognizable as a car anymore. Olafur Eliasson has removed the outer covering of the BMW H2R racing car and replaced it with a complex skin of metal spanning the body of the car. This shape is covered with ice.
In this video, Thomas Girst, Spokesperson Cultural Communications of BMW Group tells us about the history of the BMW Art Cars and the collaboration with Olafur Eliasson and the curators of the show, Dr. Corinna Rösner (Chief Curator of Die Neue Sammlung – State Museum of Applied Arts and Design) and Dr. Bernhard Schwenk (Chief Curator Contemporary Art, Pinakothek der Moderne) talk about Olafur Eliasson’s project, the collaboration between their houses and the relationship between art and design.
Olafur Eliasson – Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich. Preview, May 27, 2008. The exhibition runs until 20th July 2008.
PS: A comprehensive survey of Olafur Eliasson’s work is currently on view at MoMA and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in New York (Olafur Eliasson: Take your time, runs until 30th June, 2008).
PPS: Recommended books: Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson, Studio Olafur Eliasson: An Encyclopedia (Extra Large Series), Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.
Some technical information: To create and conserve the car’s ice coating, the vehicle is stored in a refrigeration chamber. Over a period of several days Eliasson had the car’s exposed frame sprayed with some 2000 litres of water to gradually produce the layers of ice. What has emerged from this process is an artwork approximately 1.5 m high, 5.25 m long and 2.5 m wide. Illuminated from within, it radiates an icy atmosphere.
Photo set:
