A pair of Dutch designers have deconstructed a Mini in order to dissect the entire process of automotive design.
Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings, famous for their furniture designs, created Colour One by disassembling and recreating parts of a Mini One, an entry-level model not sold in the US. It's on display at the Salone del Mobile, an Italian furniture show at the University of Milan that runs through April 28th.
To offer new perspectives on the design of the Mini's individual elements, Scholten and Baijings "peeled the Mini One like an onion, layer by layer," according to the automaker. That allowed the pair to "extract the essence" of the design of each car part – whether as part of a whole or as an individual component.
As the car turned into a collection of pieces, Scholten and Baijings were able to reinterpret aspects of car part design outside the realm of a completed vehicle, which they called "art parts." For instance, to reflect Mini's rally heritage, the seats and seatbelts have been removed and lined with special fabrics. The tires have been cast in transparent resin, and the doors have been removed for separate display.
Alongside the art car and parts, Scholten and Baijings included photographs of the process of taking the Mini apart and objects that inspired their creative processes. They also included fabric and paint samples of the materials that are featured in the installation.
Mini is no stranger to the art world. Through the years, their cars have appeared as canvases at Art Basel and in coffee table books. It's part of their corporate DNA, as parent company BMW was the first to famously commission "art cars" back in the 1970s. Mini says the Mini One hatchback used by Scholten and Baijings is an ideal canvas, since it's a basic car that still embodies the brand's design.
Photos: Mini
