Debuting at this year’s Design Miami is esteemed British automotive brand Bentley's new art and design initiative, Bentley Elements, which unveiled its first commission in a planned series of adventurous artist collaborations.
The initiative, conceived by creative directors Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey of branding agency Campbell-Rey, seeks to ‘bridge the physical and abstract elements of the car’s construction with the values of the brand and the elemental features of the natural landscape that the car inhabits’. The duo, who specialise in consultancy for heritage brands, have mapped out a programme of collaborations that will result in a new original commission from a craftsperson or artist being produced each year.
To kick start the creative process, Campbell-Rey ventured to the Bentley factory in Crewe, England, where they were inspired by the neon-lit vehicle audit bays in which the cars are inspected prior to delivery. As a result, the duo invited Italian artist Massimo Uberti to create an installation based around light for the inaugural Elements piece.
Uberti, who is known for creating dreamlike light installations using neon tubes, visited the Crewe factory before beginning work on the project. 'This installation represents the union between Bentley's innovation in engineering and technology, combined with the highest levels of craftsmanship, which I had the opportunity to appreciate when speaking with the craftspeople in the factory,' says Uberti. 'In their work, I recognised the creative spirit of an artist.'
Echoing the stark light of Bentley’s audit bays, the Milan-based artist used his trademark neon tubing to create a gravity-defying outline of a room inhabited by a table and chair that lit up its dark surroundings. The composition, Uberti explains, is representative of the craftsman’s atelier: 'Here you can find architectural elements that recall classic industrial structures with the slanted roof, low profile and the horizontal window. The working creative table speaks of ideas for the future, while the renaissance proportions of the entrance arch reference the past.'
The installation is the first commission from Bentley's new art and design initiative, Bentley Elements, conceived by creative directors Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey of branding agency Campbell-Rey
Uberti, who is known for creating dreamlike light installations using neon tubes, was invited to create an artwork for the inaugural Elements piece
The artist visited Bentley's Crewe factory before beginning work on the project where he was inspired by the skill of the craftspeople he met and the stark light of Bentley’s audit bays in which the cars are inspected prior to delivery
Says Uberti, 'This installation represents the union between Bentley's innovation in engineering and technology, combined with the highest levels of craftsmanship'
The artist used his trademark neon tubing to create a gravity-defying outline of a room inhabited by a table and chair that lit up its dark surroundings
Inspired by elements of the car’s construction as well as the values of the brand, the Italian artist's composition is representative of the Bentley craftsmen’s atelier
-
‘I wanted to create a sanctuary’ – discover a nature-conscious take on Balinese architectureUmah Tsuki by Colvin Haven is an idyllic Balinese family home rooted in the island's crafts culture
-
‘Concrete Dreams’: rethinking Newcastle’s brutalist pastA new project and exhibition at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle revisits the radical urban ideas that changed Tyneside in the 1960s and 1970s
-
Mexican designers show their metal at Gallery Collectional, Dubai‘Unearthing’ at Dubai’s Gallery Collectional sees Ewe Studio designers Manu Bañó and Héctor Esrawe celebrate Mexican craftsmanship with contemporary forms
-
Design Miami 2022: highlights from the fair and around townDesign Miami 2022 (30 November – 4 December) aims at ‘rebooting the roots of our relationship with nature and collective structures, ecospheres, and urban contexts’
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartmentBoffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden AgeDesign Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codesIndustrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
-
Colour defines LA ceramics studio and showroom of Bari ZipersteinStep inside the multifunctional ceramics studio, office and showroom of designer and artist Bari Ziperstein, designed by local firm Foss Hildreth
-
Design for Ukraine: Bocci and Design Miami join forces to raise fundsThe online sale of iconic Bocci pieces will benefit GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, providing urgently needed humanitarian aid
