BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA – where art and innovation converge
The international art fair Frieze Los Angeles is back, and today, on February 29th, the BMW Group presents the BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA, a one-of-a-kind fusion of art and innovation. We not only had the chance to have a closer look at this exceptional vehicle beforehand, where BMW's colour-change technology with the artistic flair of South African artist Esther Mahlangu merge, we also had a little chat with BMW’s engineer Stella Clarke, who had the idea for the E-Ink technology.
In 1991, Esther Mahlangu created the 12th BMW Art Car, a BMW 525i, and made history as the first African woman to paint a BMW Art Car. The collaboration played a significant role in combining African art with contemporary automotive design. Esther Mahlangu is known for her distinctive colours and geometric patterns, and so, Mahlangu's work perfectly embodies the cutting-edge Flow technology in the new BMW i5. The innovative electrophoretic colour shifts add a dynamic artistic touch to this fully-electric sedan, turning it into a masterpiece on wheels.
In 1991, Mahlangu designed the 12th BMW Art Car, based on a BMW 525i – becoming the first woman and first African artist to do so. “Her art inspired me years ago, back when the concept of colour change on a car was just an idea in my head. Now, being able to realise this idea, and work with Esther Mahlangu, is absolutely surreal.” – Stella Clarke, Research Engineer Open Innovations at the BMW Group
The BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA, named after Mahlangu’s first son, features electronically animated film sections that adorn the vehicle's roof, bonnet, rear, and sides. The E Ink film, akin to an e-book reader, holds millions of microcapsules that can alter colour particles with an electric voltage, bringing Mahlangu's art to life in dynamic displays. Renzo Vitale, BMW Group's Creative Director of Sound, crafted a unique sound experience for the BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA, blending the brand's essence with South African Ndebele culture using Mahlangu's voice, the sound of her painting tools, and even the BMW design studio's color pencils' sounds, creating a rich auditory experience synchronised with the visual animations.
This innovative vehicle boasts 1.349 individually controlled film sections, each meticulously designed to replicate intricate ornamentation. The collaboration with E Ink resulted in a cutting-edge technology adaptation for curved surfaces and custom animations, showcasing BMW Group's in-house developments. The rapid evolution of colour-change technology is evident, with recent models like the BMW iX Flow showcasing white-to-black transitions and BMW i Vision Dee displaying up to 32 colors, pushing boundaries in colour display capabilities.
The vehicle features electronically animated film sections across its roof, bonnet, rear, and sides, each embedded with millions of microcapsules in E Ink film. These capsules can alter color and pattern through electrical voltage, showcasing Mahlangu's dynamic art in ever-changing displays.
While the BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA remains a unique creation for now, the evolution of colour-change technology opens doors for future possibilities in automotive design
Be among the first to witness the world premiere of the BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA at Frieze Los Angeles. And at the same time, the 12th BMW Art Car by Ester Malanghu, which formed the basis for this tribute is currently on display in South Africa as part of the exhibition hosted by the Iziko Museums of South Africa and the BMW Group – “Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting”: Esther Mahlangu. A Retrospective. Read more here.
Pictures: Enes Kuceciv / BMW for ellectric