Design as an Artistic Expression: A Study of the Motototem Project
At the 2025 Milan Design Week, a unique project emerged that redefined the relationship between industrial design and contemporary art. This was achieved through an unconventional modification of a classic motorcycle.
Reimagining Industrial Heritage
Royal Enfield participated in the event by presenting an innovative artistic version of its classic Flying Flea FF.C6 motorcycle. The bike was transformed into a platform for artistic expression. It reflected how design can transcend functionality to embrace deeper concepts such as identity, memory, and experimentation.
A Collaboration Between Industry and Art
This project resulted from a collaboration between Royal Enfield and Italian artist Mattia Biagi. Biagi, based in Los Angeles, is known for his work exploring the relationship between traditional materials and abstract visions. His experience in designing motorcycles from an artistic perspective added both a personal and philosophical touch to the project.
The Birth of a New Sub-Brand
In this context, Royal Enfield unveiled a new sub-brand called Flying Flea. It represents a shift toward producing electric motorcycles that combine technological innovation with artistic vision. The showcased bike, named Motototem, featured a design closer to sculpture than to a traditional mode of transportation. This positioned it in a visual space that feels more like a realm of fantasy than reality.
🔗 Read also:
Between the Past and the Future: The Design Journey of Motototem
The Motototem motorcycle is based on the original model launched by the brand, the FF.C6. This adds a historical dimension that enhances its symbolic value. This new model was developed by an engineering team of over 200 engineers from India and the United Kingdom. It was a collaboration that blends technical expertise with diverse cultural influences.
Preserving the Original Identity
Despite the radical transformation in its exterior, the bike retains its original essence, both in structure and performance. For example, the designers maintained the magnesium battery box, which is equipped with fins to enhance structural strength. They also painted it in a colour inspired by black volcanic stone, keeping it in harmony with the bike’s visual line.
Technology Serving Art
Beneath the sculpted frame, modern technologies are still present. The bike relies on an intelligent system powered by a Snapdragon chip that provides connectivity and voice navigation. Thus, bridging the gap between artistic design and practical performance.
Evoking Historical Memory
The conceptual nature of the bike is not complete without evoking moments from its history. Mattia Biagi drew inspiration from the 1940 Flying Flea model, which was used during World War II for airborne drops to achieve tactical gains. The travertine tank embodies this temporal dimension, visually reconnecting the present to its historical roots.
The Art of Detail: When Nature and Humanity Merge in Motorcycle Design
In the final form of the Motototem motorcycle, the designer’s pursuit of capturing the relationship between humans and nature is clearly evident. This is not just through the materials used, but also in the finest of details.
Glass Elements and Artistic Spirit
The front and rear lights were replaced with organic shapes crafted from hand-blown glass using high-temperature techniques. This gave the lighting a unique artistic character that transcends functionality to become a visual expression.
A Human Touch in Every Detail
The bronze handlebars and footrests incorporate components molded from the actual fingerprints of artist Mattia Biagi himself. It is as if each part carries his personal signature. This detail deepens the emotional bond between the designer and the material. In fact, it gives the motorcycle a mythical aura, reminiscent of fantasy bikes like Ghost Rider. It feels as if it were a prop from a movie yet to be released.
Use of Natural Materials
The choice of materials was far from random—clay, bronze, stone, leather, as well as hammered aluminium and magnesium. All were carefully selected to give the bike an authentic character that balances strength with natural beauty.
Small Details with Great Meaning
Even elements that may seem minor, such as the wheel fenders made from resin-cast plant leaves or the walnut wood seat, were thoughtfully used. They enhance the bike’s artistic identity. The tyres are adorned with swallow symbols—a symbolic nod to loyalty and longing for home.
Sculpture on Two Wheels: Refined Details in Design
Mattia Biagi left no detail untouched, extending his artistic vision to the bike’s front fork assembly. Instead of using traditional fork guards typically found on off-road motorcycles, he replaced them with cast clay inserts. This gives the bike a sculptural character that reflects its deep connection to the earth and raw materials.
Clay in Mechanical Roles
The same artistic approach was applied to the chain guard—an element often overlooked in design. Here, it becomes part of the visual language of the artwork, emphasizing the fusion of mechanics with handcrafted artistry.
A Motorcycle on the Global Stage
After being unveiled at the Superdesign Show at Via Tortona 27 in Milan during Design Week, the motorcycle is now set to embark on a global tour. This will allow a wider audience to experience this unique convergence of art and engineering.
When Design Becomes a Story
Motototem is not presented as a means of transport, but as a platform for dialogue between past and future, between material and metaphor. In time, it may even find its way into post-apocalyptic films or cinematic works exploring the human struggle with nature and technology—not merely as a motorcycle, but as a living, breathing piece of sculpture.
