LONDON.- The Fine Art Society announces ‘Adrenalin’, a new body of work by British artist, Angela Palmer.

Palmer was given unprecedented access to the world of Formula 1 engineering. In collaboration with Renault Formula 1, which currently designs engines for Red Bull, Lotus, Toro Rosso, and Caterham, the artist deconstructed the iconic V8 engine with the help of its pioneering engineers at their F1 laboratories in Paris; Renault’s V8 first powered Fernando Alonso to become world champion, followed by Sebastian Vettel who last year amassed four championship titles in succession.

Palmer upscaled dramatically individual components of the V8 using a variety of materials, from walnut to Portland stone and bronze. For the project, she was supplied with the engineers’ CAD drawings as well as unique engine parts from the V8, material normally guarded with the strictest secrecy to prevent industrial espionage. By pure luck for the artist, F1 rules changed in 2014 to the downsized, turbocharged V6 equipped with its newly developed energy recovery systems. This allowed Renault to unlock its sensitive data to Palmer.

The exhibition was inspired by the realisation that few know what lies under the bonnet of their cars. Says Palmer: ‘Countless millions of people in the world drive a car every day yet few have any concept of the components of a car engine. How many of us know what a crankshaft looks like, never mind its function? I wanted to peel back that mysterious layer and reveal the astonishing piece of engineering which creates this technological ‘beating heart’ that’s so close to all of us, often all day, every day.’

‘I began my research by ordering a plastic build-your-own engine off Amazon. From there I went in search of the real thing and bought an engine at my local scrapyard, congealed with oil and grime; I think it was a Datsun Cherry. I spent weeks taking it apart, working on the sculptural possibilities for each part. Months later I was introduced to the President of Renault Formula 1 and I was given the opportunity to work on the most advanced car engine in the world. I spent a day with the Renault F1 team at their headquarters in Viry-Chatillon in Paris, observing the astonishing precision behind the construction of the engines. Hundreds of engineers worked in immaculate laboratories with intense focus, testing parts, listening, analysing computer read-outs – more akin to a scene from an NHS critical care unit than a factory.

‘Within days Renault sent an enormous box via UPS to my home in Oxford with the most fabulous components of the V8 – each piece is a work of engineering genius, numbered and initialled, and engineered down to the last micron.’

The artist used a variety of materials dictated by the sculptural language of the individual parts – for example, she has recreated the V8 crankshaft into a seven-foot high ‘totem’ in walnut while one of the small cogs inspired a three foot high column in Portland stone. She has also recreated the V8 engine life-size in glass, by hand drawing the cross-sections of the engine on multiple sheets of glass, presented on a slatted base. The impression is the engine ‘floating’ in space, accompanied by headphones with the primal roar of the much lamented V8. This will be shown in the exhibition alongside the actual V8.

Ann Hindry, the curator of Renault’s art collection said the work created by the artist is ‘so much related to what Renault has always searched for in its long relationship with art: a sharing of knowledge and creativity.’

During the project, Palmer also became drawn to the world’s F1 circuit tracks. ‘Seen in the abstract, they are redolent of Eastern calligraphy.’ She has recreated a collection of tracks, including Monaco, Belgian Spa, Singapore, Brazil and Shanghai in wall-mounted neon. In addition, she has borrowed a crash helmet worn by an F1 driver last year and has cast it in delicate lead crystal glass, reminding us of the ever-present fragility faced by drivers in the fastest motor sport in the world.

The artist adds: ‘I confess I was a closet car nut in my single days. I had an old Morgan which I once raced at the Ingilston track in Edinburgh but it was fairly disastrous: in my excitement, I forgot to release the handbrake as I left the grid. Several years later Jeremy Clarkson sent me off on a Formula 3 driving course in Parma in Italy for Top Gear magazine but alas my enthusiasm wasn’t quite matched by my performance…’

Adrenalin is on exhibition at The Fine Art Society, 148 New Bond Street, London from Nov 19 – Dec 23.