humans since 1982 spotlights the AUDI e-tron quattro concept at design miami/

humans since 1982 spotlights the AUDI e-tron quattro concept at design miami/
image courtesy of AUDI

since 2006, AUDI has partnered with design miami/ by bringing a new signature vehicle to the fair and inviting a designer to create an installation that both reflects and amplifies the car’s characteristics.

for the 2015 edition, the company enlisted stockholm design studio humans since 1982 to realize an immersive and experiential artwork around the e-tron quattro concept — AUDI’s all-electric, luxury-class sport SUV. with the overarching theme of ‘the future of electric mobility’ in mind, humans since 1982 designers per emanuelsson and bastian bischoff conceived three, large-scale audio-visual sculptures that physically translate the vehicle’s trademark qualities while simultaneously reflecting the power of nature. the installation ‘spotlights’ uses different aspects of the natural world to draw attention to the car’s most important features: it is electric, able to fuel using solar power, and is aerodynamically optimized for both speed and driving pleasure.

three spotlights show images of natural phenomena like passing clouds, flying birds and bolts of lighting
image courtesy of AUDI

to emulate the personality and key attributes of the car, a series of oversized spotlights have been configured around the AUDI e-tron quattro. each of the circular screens project three different video sequences onto the vehicle that individually allude to its main attributes: a video of the sky, with clouds rolling from one display to the next, visually indicates the car’s solar panels on the roof that collect energy from the sun; a stream of birds flying in a flock refer to the concept’s sleek aerodynamics; finally, a flashing bolt of lightning simulates the electric capacity of AUDI’s e-tron quattro.

the concept itself is powered by three electric motors one drives the front axle, the two others act on the rear axle, outputting 320 kW. the large lithium-ion battery is integrated into the floor, and gives the SUV a low center of gravity, helping its dynamic handling. the battery has a range of 500 km and enables both DC or AC electrical charging. alternatively, the car is equipped with wireless charging technology that employs contactless induction charging. in addition, a solar roof provides electricity for the drive system battery on sunny days.

at design miami/, designboom met designers per emanuelsson and bastian bischoff of humans since 1982 who told us more about their collaboration with AUDI on ‘spotlights’, how the installation reflects the e-tron quattro concept, and their experience working alongside an electric vehicle.

the installation uses different aspects of the natural world to draw attention to the car’s most important features
image © designboom

designboom: tell us about the installation you’ve designed for AUDI at design miami/.

per emanuelsson: AUDI contacted us in august and invited us to do an installation for design miami/. every year, they always enlist different designers to do something in this space, and this year, they were going to present their new electric car, the AUDI e-tron quattro concept. this is a car with a lot of strong characteristics — it’s electric, it has solar panels on its roof, and it also transforms, depending on if its going on the highway or on small streets. so we got the assignment to translate those three main characteristics into something physical as the starting point for the installation.

video imagery of lightning bolts is projected through the three circular screens
image courtesy of AUDI

DB: what were some of the points of reference you took from the AUDI e-tron quattro concept and translated for the installation?

bastian bischoff: well, we’ve come up with this installation called ‘spotlight’. we took the characteristics of the car and tried to find some kind of visual reference in nature, like a phenomenon in the sky. then we looked at the phases of the sun. in the video part of the installation, the shifting of the blue skies refers to the solar panels on the roof of the car; visuals of birds reference the aerodynamics of the car; and bolts of lightning refer to the car’s electric capabilities.

a series of oversized spotlights have been configured around the AUDI e-tron quattro
image courtesy of AUDI

DB: what was it like working with AUDI?

PE: it was a great experience. they set quite a high level on the end result, and we’re also quite quality driven. so it was a really nice working relationship.

DB: where and how were the three spotlights realized?

BB: there’s actually three different elements that make up the installation — there’s the big spotlight, the technology thats inside the projection and also the video content. so we had different partners that helped us produce these three this different elements. we had some really good craftsmen helping us make three spotlights, because they’re really huge! also, a company specializing in projection, along with a visual company assisted. for the video content, we provided the sketches, drafts and overall guidelines for the images, and then there were three companies that helped us realize our vision for the video inside the screens.

the studio has realized an immersive and experiential artwork around the e-tron quattro concept
image © designboom

DB: what is the sequence of video played within the spotlights?

BB: the three spotlights display one video sequence split into three different circular parts, so they are completely interconnected with one another. when you see clouds, for example, the clouds drift from one circle to the next as the video plays.

a sequence of birds flies from one circular screen to the next
image © designboom

DB: what do you want a visitor experience when they enter the space you’ve designed around the car?

PE: it was important to have a big impact on the audience when they arrive at the AUDI area. even for us, I mean, we designed it and knew all the dimensions, but when we came in and saw them in real scale, it was really quite impressive. the size, scale, media and the video running within the spotlight creates a combination of things that you really don’t expect. we also added the component of sound, so there’s a nice experience when you stand nearby.

the birds represent the aerodynamics of the car and highlight the sleek exterior characteristics it exhibits
image © designboom

DB: what do you think about the car?

PE: I really like that we’re involved in a project that pushes electric cars; its quite a new movement. this is the first SUV that is electric driven, and its been really nice to be a part of this movement at a very early stage.