Nissany on the inspiration behind his ‘art piece’ and the role he played in designing it

Roy Nissany takes us behind the visor and shares the story behind his lid, discussing where the design came from and how it all came together.

The DAMS Racer plays a key role in the process, using his own graphic design skills to create the perfect “art piece.” Talking through where the ideas came from, he goes on to explain why he feels motor racing helmets wouldn’t look out of place in a museum of modern art.

“My very first helmet design was inspired by my father as we actually started to drive at the same time,” said Nissany. “I have it standing at home next to all of my other designs. There is one helmet after the other with the evolution of my design, like a museum.

“It has changed since then and it sounds cheesy and obvious, but the current one is my favourite, it is so modern, and it represents me. There are some abstract and artistic lines, a touch of gold and it is just a very cool concept, I love it. I am with Bell this year and the shape of the helmet is beautiful. The interior is white now, and although it doesn't stay like that for very long, it’s beautiful when it’s clean.

“The helmet I use for F2 has DAMS written on, and the F1 version has Williams. My initials are on the back and the idea is that they look like a racetrack. Maybe one day I can have a karting track in my backyard that looks like that.

“I designed the abstract part myself on the computer and that was very hard to do. I saw a car that had been wrapped with these sorts of lines, albeit different shades and colours, but I loved it and immediately thought that it would look good as part of my helmet.

“A lot of thought has gone into it, right down to which colour is the most dominant. I think of my helmet as a gift to myself, but one that everyone can enjoy while I am driving.

“I put a lot of effort into it, but I enjoy it. You are touching it up and making small changes, emailing back and forth with the company, and waiting for that final draft to come through. It is good fun and part of the anticipation of a new season.

“There are no lucky charms, no signs, I like it clean, artistic and a little bit sophisticated. Although a lot of effort goes into it, I try not to spend too much time on the helmet. It is like choosing the right picture for Instagram: you can look through photo, after photo, after photo, after photo and eventually they all end up looking the same to you and it kind of loses its meaning. I think that it’s important to have a good balance in terms of how much time you spend on the helmet.

“There are so many people close to you who are asking for a copy of your helmet, they want to have a copy in their living room! For them, it is an incredible object and I agree, it is so beautiful in my eyes. The whole paddock has beautiful helmets.

“I posted this on my social media at the start of the year and called it my ‘little art piece,’ and I believe that. Not just my helmet, but helmets in general, they are works of art. You could stand in one in a museum of modern art as a piece. Maybe some people will think that is an exaggeration, but it is what I believe.”