Volt lights up London!

It has already won glowing praise from the world’s motoring press, but now the Chevrolet Volt really knows how to shine, after the American manufacturer pulled the wraps off another world-first renowned automotive artist Ian Cook made art history in London
by creating an image of the Volt using paint that reacts to ultra-violet light, effectively making it glow against the board on which it is created.

The image is based on a nocturnal image of the Volt in London shot by well-known car photographer Dominic Fraser, and in normal light looks like a fairly bright and prominent artwork, but when it is hit by ultra-violet ‘black’ light, the image comes to life and appears to rise in front of its background.

29-year old Cook from Solihull, W Midlands, created the image in a mostly dark studio using radio-controlled Chevrolet Camaro models, themselves dipped in UV paint, primarily so they could be visible in the studio.

“This is, quite simply, the hardest piece of work I’ve ever created,” said Cook. “I was more or less creating it blind.

“The idea was to create an image that was as innovative and mould-breaking as the Chevrolet Volt itself, while at the same time keeping in mind its electric powertrain. Chevrolet was one of the first vehicle manufacturers to fully recognise my radio-controlled car art and, indeed, make the most of it. As the Volt takes electric motoring to a new level, I wanted to take my art to a new level by doing something completely new and different.”

The Volt was completed during a three-day car art workshop held at the headquarters of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) in London, during which Cook demonstrated his art in interactive sessions to school children and art students.

He also used the event to create one of his most detailed images yet, of his own SpART – a Chevrolet Spark in a rather unique livery.

Cook has been associated with Chevrolet since 2008, when he created images of the Camaro Convertible and Beat concept cars at the London Motor Show. He is a judge in the brand’s Young Creative Chevrolet applied arts competition, and creates all of his work using radio-controlled cars and old tyres.

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