BMW advances E Ink tech with new i5 Flow Nostokana

BMW has collaborated with Artist Esther Mahlangu, known for her Ndebele paintings, to push its E Ink technology further.

First revealed on the BMW iX Flow, the E Ink technology is now showcased on the BMW i5 Flow Nostokana, which makes use of multiple sections of attached film which be electronically animated to allow the car to deliver the typical colours and patterns of Mahlangu's in constantly changing compositions.

The BMW i5 Flow Nostokana makes use of E Ink technology to bring the colours and patterns of Mahlangu's art to life in constantly changing compositions

Named after Mahlangu's first son, the car gets two strips of electronically animated across its roof, bonnet and rear section, as well as its sides. These strips contain several million microcapsules just like an e-book reader, allowing the structure and arrangement of the colour particles they contain can be changed by applying an electric voltage.

The changing animations of the BMW i5 Flow Nostokana are accompanied by a soundscape, composed by BMW Group's Creative Director, Sound, Renzo Vitale as it makes its debut at the Frieze Los Angeles art fair. This soundscape is said to make use of sequences from Mahlangu's voice, as well as the sound of the feather brushes she used for painting. These are then combined with sounds produced by the colour pencils employed in the BMW design studio and the acoustic signal heard when operating the BMW i5's touch display to create a sound mix that starts off softly at the beginning of each colour change and increases in intensity as the animation progresses.

BMW states that this latest development of the E Ink technology has seen its film become more robust, after having received the ability to display colours in the BMW i Vision Dee.

Mahlangu designed the 12^th BMW Art Car, based on a BMW 525i, in 1991, making her the first woman and first African artist to do so.