barberosgerby reflect double space for BMW at the V&A for LDF 2014

barberosgery reflect double space for BMW at the V&A during LDF 2014
image courtesy of the london design festival

2014 marks the second year in which BMW group has partnered with the london design festival, bringing forth a bespoke installation for the annual event. this year’s collaboration conceived by barberosgerby (jay osgerby and edward barber) comes in the form of ‘double space – precision & poetry of motion’ — an immersive experience within the V&A museum‘s prestigious raphael gallery that combines technical precision with poetic semantics. it was the british creatives’ intention to interpret the leitmotif of BMW’s design philosophy, ‘precision and poetry’, bringing forth an all-encompassing piece that merged technology and sensuality into a single experience. ‘this work offers an infinite change of perspective on an immense scale,’ say edward barber & jay osgerby.

the reflective volumes offer new perspectives of the V&A’s raphael gallery
image courtesy of the london design festival

the kinetic installation is composed of two large reflectors, each composed of one flat wall of mirror and one curved surface, hovering over the 600-square-metre space where raphael’s famous cartoons for his sistine chapel tapestries hang. the two shimmering volumes (each measuring 15 x 10 meters each) revolving on their own axis, either simultaneously or alternatively, collectively citing the monumental size of the raphael gallery – ‘a place that cries out something great‘, says jay osgerby.

it is not only the sheer magnitude which ‘double space’ consumes that is impactful, but also the new perspectives of the exhibition room that the sculptural work delivers, with the near-silent rotation of the reflective masses expressing an all at once technical and lyrical choreography — movement in a static space — that offers one, a unique and renewed perspectives of the historic paintings on display.

the installation provides movement within a static space, reflecting the historic works of art within the gallery
image courtesy of the london design festival

the BMW design team for the project led by karim habib, head of design BMW automobiles, under the direction of adrian van hooydonk, states: ”double space for BMW’ is a compelling projection of our design concept for the BMW brand. the reflections on a precision-built metal structure bring poetry alive while dismantling habitual perceptions of architecture and its environment. at the same time tradition and modernity are brought together here. through ‘double space for BMW’ visitors are able to see and experience well-known Renaissance paintings in an utterly new and highly personal way.’

the shimmering volumes reflect the italian artist’s cartoons