This past Sunday, Lewis Hamilton became the F1 champ passing Timo Glock in the last corner on the last lap of the last race of the season.  For less than 30 seconds, race winner Felipe Massa of Ferrari was the champ…until that last corner.  Lewis was crowned champion by 1 point.  Wow.

Lewis Hamilton, 2008 F1 Champ

I love Formula 1 (my dad worked in it) , I’m sad it doesn’t come to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (for the time being), and it is at the technological forefront of auto racing (hey, I’m in New Media) – so I’m always happy to bore you with this stuff.  However.

Recent experiences have made me consider design in a new way, especially the design of every day objects.  For me, these might be the things we take for granted or not really consider ‘designed.’  I was recently in Spain working on a couple of New Media projects for upcoming IMA exhibitions, including one on European Design.  In Barcelona I had the opportunity to interview designer Marti Guixe and architect Juli Capella.  Since these interviews (and the omnipresence of Gaudi in Barcelona), I have paid more attention to the objects around me – their function, aesthetic appeal, construction and so on.  You can find beauty and innovation in even the most mundane objects.  I’m telling you this because I hope you share your own experiences with design.

I missed Lewis’ incredible last lap because I was on a plane (I love the graphic design of the airline safety cards) and this of course, as it always does, made me think of Patrick Smith’s fascinating blog post on the jet liner as art.   So the combination of F1, recent exposure to leading designers, and IMA’s first ever guest blogger, inspired me to share some of my favorite F1 cars as objects of design.  Here’s 3 -

The Tyrrell P34, 1976 – yeah, it had six wheels. Talk about innovation and risk taking.

Image courtesy of formula1.sport24.pl

The Brabham BT-52, 1983.  There something about the lines of this car combined with the simple blue and white.

Image courtesy of km77.com

And, I would come under harsh criticism if I failed to mention the Ferrari 156 F1 Sharknose, 1961-62.  Hey, it’s a Ferrari.

Image courtesy of ultimatecarpage.com

These are just three cars from thousands of F1 designs over the years, but they illustrate an area of design that interests me.

I also love the Eames Lounge Chair, Tag Heuer Monaco watch and Lego’s.  It just something about the way they are designed.

I’ve listed my favorite design objects.  Now it’s your turn.

]]> http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2008/11/06/lewis-hamilton-and-design/feed/ 1 http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2008/05/25/dan-wheldon-racing-art-and-the-indy-500/ http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2008/05/25/dan-wheldon-racing-art-and-the-indy-500/#comments Sun, 25 May 2008 15:29:29 +0000 Dan Wheldon http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/?p=428 We asked Dan Wheldon to share a few thoughts as the Indianapolis 500 neared. Here is a pre-race update.

What a month it’s been so far in Indianapolis. My Target Chip Ganassi Racing team has performed flawlessly and put my teammate Scott Dixon on pole position, with myself close behind in second for our first ever one-two start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’ve always been fortunate in my career to be in great equipment, and I hope to take the No.10 Target Honda Dallara to victory lane Sunday.

What a great feeling it would be to win a second Indianapolis 500. Winning this race in 2005 was the highlight of my professional racing career, and the highlight of my personal life came just a few short months ago in St. Petersburg, FL when I married my beautiful wife Susie. Things are going extremely well and I can only hope we have lady luck on our side when the green flag drops in a few short days.

I’ve always been a fan of the arts so in the spirit of good taste and with a nod to my heritage I’ll be sporting a new pair of PUMA racing shoes this weekend for the race. They are a very distinct blue, red and white pair that feature the British Flag…complete with a gold PUMA logo to accent the design. I also had a very special helmet designed for the race which shows off what its like to sip the milk at Indianapolis. I don’t want to give too much away so you’ll have to look for it on Sunday!

Finally, in starting on the front row for this year’s Indianapolis 500, my teammate and I were able to participate in a special visit to New York City on Monday at the new Sports Museum of America on Broadway in NYC. What a thrill it was to see a display showing off one of the helmets the team donated to the museum for the grand opening. That’s all the inspiration you need to close out the month of May in Indianapolis on a high note!

Here’s to another victory this weekend, and hopefully adding another piece of “fine art” to my personal collection!

While many people stay at home and listen to the radio, hundreds of thousands more pour into the track every year as spectators. As the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can hold more than 400,000 fans. That means in one day the track gets as many visitors as the IMA does in an entire year. That’s amazing!

So, what is it that race cars have that art doesn’t? Is it the rich history of the race? Maybe, but the IMA has actually been around 26 years longer. In fact, both the track and the IMA’s Lilly House are listed as National Historic Landmarks. Is it the IMS’s marketing team? I know they are good. but I don’t think that we can chalk this up entirely to advertising. Maybe it’s the food at the track? A giant turkey leg does sound tempting, but so too does a big Wolfgang Puck’s pizza. I think it has to be the goose-bump factor? As mentioned above, there’s something about the race that causes my blood to start pumping faster and the hairs on my neck to stick up. The thrill of the event may be enough to attract 400,000 folks. But, I will say I still don’t think race cars have a leg up on art in this case.

In my lifetime I have had several works of art that like the roar of the race cars at the speedway have made my pulse race. Some have even changed my life. (I’ve definitely never had a race car do that.)

In the spirit of the upcoming weekend, I offer a list of works of art that “start my engine”:

1. The Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum in London – Honestly, these sculptures changed my life.
2. Fountain by Marcel Duchamp – I didn’t understand what art really was until I saw this piece at the IU Art Museum. It’s a multiple so there are plenty more sprinkled around the world.
3. Pater Noster by Sean Landers at the Denver Art Museum – I could spend days just staring at this piece.
4. Acton by James Turrell at the IMA – Take some time with it and it may just blow your mind.

Race fans, Art fans and Blog Readers – What works of art get your adrenaline pumping? What gives you the goose-bumps at the IMA? Share your own lists below. I’d love to hear what you guys think.

In the meantime…I’m off to the races!

Made popular by the movie “Night at the Museum” starring Ben Stiller, a hot trend is sweeping the country in which museums are opening up their doors for visitors to spend the night among relics, robots and live animals. The IMA manages to stay open until 9:00 pm on Thursdays and Fridays, which doesn’t exactly allow for a gallery slumber party among the priceless works of art, but does give visitors the unique opportunity to stick around after most museums are closed to enjoy art, music and people.

The Indianapolis Marriott Downtown now offers the experience of sleeping with art in its King Guest Rooms, featuring beds with headboards that are reproductions of an IMA work of art titled Smoke Signals, by American Michael James. The hotel reopened on February 10, after a $9.5 million makeover by Dallas-based interior architectural design firm Vivian Nichols Associates. The firm found inspiration for the redesign at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (many thanks to Ruth Roberts, rights and reproductions coordinator at the IMA) and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, using checkered carpet that mimics the Speedway’s victory flag. Queen-sized beds feature a companion work of art by the same artist.

I was full of pride for our city when I read the recent list of trendy “Art Hotels” in the March issue of Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine. Though not yet on the list, Indy has joined the ranks of some very forward thinking cities. Each hotel creates a unique and interactive experience by surrounding guests with art and design (We’ll see if I can squeeze one of these into next year’s Marketing travel budget!).

Top on the list are:

• Amsterdam – The Winston
• Singapore – The New Majestic
• Berlin – Arte Luise Kunsthotel
• Cape Town, South Africa – Daddy Long Legs
• Nice, France – The Windsor
• Toronto – The Gladstone
• Copenhagen – Hotel Fox
• Paris – Hotel Amour
• San Francisco – Hotel des Arts

What a novelty to have an art hotel right here in our city. So book a room, and drink in the modern, creative ambiance. Or visit the IMA. You never know what we’ve dreamed up for you next. Just don’t touch the art.