BMW and lighting specialist FLOS joined forces at Salone del Mobile 2011 to create, with thanks to the talent of young British designer Paul Cocksedge, Sestosenso – ‘a celebration of light’.

On the opening evening, a long queue formed outside the entrance to the Flos showroom in Corso Monforte, Milan, with people flocking to experience the extraordinary installation inspired by the new LED lighting technology of the BMW 6 Series coupé.

Paul Cocksedge had erected a seamless, curving, white wall extension to the Flos showroom with red and white conical lamps hanging low from the ceiling. As with the BMW headlights, the source of light was hidden. Only the light itself was visible – soft and seductive – transmitted through a transparent body.

Stepping inside one of the Sestosenso (sixth sense) red lights, you could see a video of the BMW 6 Series Coupé on the vast white wall. “As if accessing a sixth sense, there is a hint of movement in the corner of the eye. Through the light we see the car: through the car, we understand the light,” is how it was explained to us. “The playful sculptural pieces softly illuminate, stimulate and allow contemplation.”

A handmade limited edition of 66 Sestosenso light sculptures, designed by the Paul Cocksedge Studio for Flos, has been produced.

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: BMW