‘Beyond the F1 Circuit’: Art and Race Car Design Collide | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

“Beyond the F1 Circuit: Art and Speed ​​with Williams Racing,” exploring “the interplay of form and function through the lens of high-performance automotive design” at the Williams Racing Formula One team, according to a press release, opens Thursday at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock.

The exhibition, which runs until September 22, includes an exact replica of a Williams racing car, a driver’s suit and a helmet.

“A Formula 1 car is the ultimate racing machine,” the object explains on the museum’s website, arkmfa.org.

“Immerse yourself in the craftsmanship of a real Formula 1 racing car and the art of merging performance and aesthetics. Each of the car’s 20,000 components is designed with meticulous precision to improve speed, efficiency and aerodynamics, while constantly balancing the strict regulations imposed by the sport.

“While the performance of a Williams Racing car must remain unmatched, its visual identity – shapes, lines, colours, graphics, logos – is also essential to the relationship built with the team’s fans. This union of art and mechanics fuels the car’s success on the track and generates the excitement and adrenaline felt by more than 1.5 billion fans around the world, 28% of whom are based in the United States.

“Beyond the F1 Circuit echoes the long tradition of creative problem-solving demonstrated by artists when balancing both practical and aesthetic considerations. The exhibition nods to the blurring of the boundaries between fine art and craft, long associated with functional objects such as vessels or furniture, where contemporary artists are increasingly using the craft medium in their practice.”

The exhibit is accompanied by a film produced exclusively for the exhibit, which provides insight into the collaboration between AMFA, Williams Racing and Stephens Inc., a Little Rock-based independent financial services firm and a long-standing supporter of the museum, which is Williams’ official investment banking partner and sponsor of the exhibit. It delves into the design of Williams Racing’s livery and the complexities of AMFA’s installation, including the installation of the half-ton race car in the museum’s atrium.

The museum’s opening hours are 10am to 5pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10am to 8pm Wednesdays to Fridays, and 12pm to 5pm on Sundays. Admission is free.

An exact replica of a Williams Racing Formula One car, a driver’s suit and a helmet make up the exhibit “Beyond the F1 Circuit: Artistry and Speed ​​with Williams Racing,” which opens Thursday at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)