Left side of a standalone copper motorbike built on a Ducati Monster chassis in a white background.
Samotracia_copper-motorbike_Mario-Trimarchi-Design

Samotracia,
copper motorbike for De Castelli

Designing speed

This motorcycle represents a reflection on the aesthetic of the movement. Design follows the forms of the human body on the bike, giving the object a sense of thrilling physical and mental tension of riding at high speeds.
Typical aerodynamic curves have been put aside, and the fairing that conceals the inner engineering is segmented as in the logic of time-lapse photography, like a visual interpretation of speed. Over time, with the natural oxidation of copper, the object is aligned with the time of the city, experienced in an eternally contemporary condition.
The motorcycle bodywork was made by De Castelli on a Ducati Monster chassis.
Front and back of a standalone copper motorbike built on a Ducati Monster chassis in a black background with lights on.
Four close up images of a copper motorbike built on a Ducati Monster chassis in a black background with lights on.
Left side of a standalone copper motorbike built on a Ducati Monster chassis on a quarter landing inside of Litta Palace of Milan, Italy.
Side picture detail of a copper motorbike built on a Ducati Monster chassis showing the proportion of the form in relation with a human arm and hand.

“For some time now, I have been working on how to design speed.I have combined this obsession with a fixation on the passage of time, which I think is one of the major themes of our relationship with objects. The result is a motorcycle that seems to move on its own, as if it were the result of a sequence of photo frames, somewhat Cubist, in a way, but also seductive and coppery, like the skin of
a beautiful woman”

From SAMOTRACIA CATALOGUE, Mario Trimarchi – De Castelli, 2019
Two images composed by a three quarters left view of a standalone copper motorbike built on a Ducati Monster chassis in a white background with lights on, and a Samotraccia drawing showing a three quarters right view.

Finally, after a hundred years, the bike will be completely oxidized and will appear totally green; then it will be evident that it was designed to last a long time, indeed too long …

Right side of a standalone copper motorbike built on a Ducati Monster chassis in a white background showing the pass of time with the color changing to green, typical of copper oxidation.
PAGES FROM SAMOTRACIA MANGA
MT bande dessiné – Ink on paper, 2018