Quiet Motion by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for BMW i

Rose Etherington | 8 April 2013 7 comments

Milan 2013: designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec present a courtyard installation of rotating cork platforms for car brand BMW i (+ slideshow).

Quiet Motion by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for BMWi

Called Quiet Motion, the project for BMW's electric car division comprises four carousel-like structures with strips of fabric hanging from the edges, linked by wide circular cork platforms that are also revolving.

Visitors can climb inside the curtains of textiles and relax as the world slowly passes round them: "You are invited to take part in it and be part of the movement," explains Erwan Bouroullec.

The Bouroullec brothers believe that as electric engines make cars quieter, the driving experience and the interior design of vehicles should become simplified and more relaxing.

"We tried to interpret what it means to have an electric cars," he continues. "What we propose with this installation is to say that motion, movement, energy in general should probably be quieter, softer and something which is less about speed and aggression."

They combined materials common to car design - bodywork paint and leather - with materials more usually associated with furniture and interiors, like cork and fabrics.

"We are more and more surrounded by materials that look fake," says Bouroullec. "In the furniture industry you use less materials and fewer components. I think car interiors have to come back to materials that are more clear, more simple, and more understood by the people and customers."