Dezeen Magazine

Massimo Uberti sculpts neon tubes into a room for Bentley

Design Miami 2014: Italian artist Massimo Uberti has bent neon tubes into the shape of a room for an installation commissioned by British motor company Bentley (+ slideshow).

Light installation by Massimo Uberti for Bentley

Conceived by creative agency Campbell-Rey, Massimo Uberti's Light installation comprises a series of glass pipes that trace the outline of the edges and corners of a habitable space.

"I like to create architectures of light," said Uberti. "I employ neon tubes to build places for poetical inhabitants, trying to create dream-like spaces that allow for reflection."

Light installation by Massimo Uberti for Bentley

The neon tubes also create a doorway into the room and a window frame that appears to hover in the centre of one of the walls.

Light installation by Massimo Uberti for Bentley

A trestle table and an armchair – suggested using the same technique – occupy the room and are included to pay homage to Bentley's "handwork and human touch that goes into the creation of each vehicle", according to a statement from the company.

The illuminated installation in Miami Design District references the neon-lit vehicle audit bays at Bentley's manufacturing facility in Crewe, England, which Uberti visited prior to the design's conception.

Light installation by Massimo Uberti for Bentley

The neon tubes for his artwork were hand-blown and bent in Miami before the piece was installed in a gallery space at 25 North-East 39th Street.

Light opened yesterday during this year's Design Miami event as the first in a series of installations titled Bentley Elements, and will remain in place until 4 December.

Light installation by Massimo Uberti for Bentley

Bentley launched its own furniture line with a range of sofas, chairs and tables last year.