BMW: Kinetic Sculpture

Credits:

Type of Entry: Environmental Design
Category: Environmental Design: Permanent
Title: KINETIC SCULPTURE
Advertiser/Client: BMW GROUP
Product/Service: BMW
Entrant Company: ART+COM Berlin, GERMANY
Design/Advertising Agency: ART+COM Berlin, GERMANY
Creative Credits
Name Company Position
Joachim Sauter Art/Com Creative Director
Patrick Kochlik Art/Com Art Director
Petra Trefzger Art/Com Art Director
Susanne Traeger Art/Com Computer Animation
Details
Brief Explanation:
Instead of simply showing images or movies, we wanted to demonstrate the design-process in a challenging, metaphorical way. Therefore, we developed the Kinetic Sculpture, which shows the process of form-finding in a three-dimensional space. It focuses the central topic “Design” in the new BMW Museum and sets the tone for the entire exhibition, attuning visitors of all ages to the museum from the very beginning.
Describe the brief from the client:
Create a space in which the design-process of a car is shown, from an unspecified starting point via competing forms to the finished result.
Description of how you arrived at the final design:
The Kinetic Sculpture is a metaphorical translation of the process of form-finding in design. 714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative. Moving chaotically at first, the sculpture evolves through several competing forms and eventually resolves into a final shape whose profile hints at one of many well-known, historic and latest, BMW automobiles. The cycle is synchronised with a graphic light strip running around the walls and texts and audio quotes from BMW associates on the company’s values and design aims.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market:
Shortly after the opening of the BMW Museum, the Kinetic Sculpture became the most watched video worldwide in the category “Automotive” on YouTube for a week.