KUKA Industrial Robot and BMW 4 Series Prove Creation Can Meet Creator

That is perfectly fine, because after a certain level, bad publicity is still publicity, and the 4 Series G22 snout has forever changed the public’s perception on how a BMW should or shouldn’t look anyway, maybe even more than what the 7 Series G65 did almost two decades ago.

The Bavarian carmaker has entered a new epoch regarding technology and design in equal measure, so what better way to celebrate the dawn of a new era than by making people talk about you and your accomplishments?

Some people digest things slower anyway, and BMW’s way of introducing the model’s design and raison d'être to both new and old generations of Bimmer fans has been equally entertaining.

But this story isn’t about the latest BMW 4 Series per se, or about BMW in general for that matter, but about a once in a lifetime event that managed to oddly convey a sense of peace between organic and inorganic, or between good and evil.

BMW has almost never been a stranger to art or cultural events, and its Art Car movement - instigated by racecar driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain back in the 70s - is the best validation of that.

Not connected to Art Cars, but to art in general - or theater to be more specific – the ‘Who am I? A human - robot performance’ is an installation that would need too much of an introduction for it to sound believable.

That said, I’ll do my best anyway. In short, an industrial robot is one of the last pieces of technology you’d think can have something in common with a theater show or art installation.

Well, that is exactly what happened during BMW’s first European outing of the 4 Series in public, more than a month before the official debut on the market for the controversial-looking coupe.

The show-installation “Who Am I? A human-robot performance” was developed by the team of the art and technology studio H3, and debuted in the selection of Ars Electronica, the largest art and technology festival in the world.

The art show installation was built around the double identity of a KUKA industrial robot, which used to be a ‘factory worker’ helping make cars in BMW’s Regensburg plant, and is now a 1.5-ton bona fide artist.

Basically inspired by the myth of Pygmalion, the show offered a rather strong contrast between mechanical and organic, finally ending with the somewhat emotional and immersive meeting between the creator and its creation.

In this case, the creator is obviously the reprogrammed KUKA robot, while the creation is the new BMW 4 Series. A special photo session involving the two characters does miracles in showing the cognitive dissonance found in this immersive scenario, with the 4 Series appearing more and more like an anti-hero.

With its bold exterior look, dominated by the gargantuan front grille and an organic design language that you either love or hate, the BMW 4 Series G22 Coupe can certainly possess the qualities to be a character in its own right, even if it’s in a play where it simply meets its maker.