March 15, 2009Cool (well, Cold), But Not So Awesome Art.

The latest BMW art car was commissioned in 2007 from Olafur Eliasson, creator of (among other things) the lackluster New York City Waterfalls project that ran last summer.  Eliasson’s take on the BMW project, BMW Art Car Project: Your Mobile Expectations, is based on the BMW H2R, a race car designed to run on liquid hydrogen, and is largely political.  The design, a fascinating but extremely esoteric concept, incorporates steel mesh and mirror-coated stainless steel elements with layers of ice with the aim of drawing a connection between car design and global warming.  The result is a work of art that must be exhibited in a refrigerated gallery.  Thought-provoking?  Yes, maybe.  Beautiful, or at least interesting, to look at?  Yes, definitely.  Self-indulgent and a little ridiculous?  I’d say so…but still worth knowing about.