Visitors to the Bermuda Society of the Arts may do a double take when they see a Van Gogh amidst the paintings in the City Hall gallery's latest exhibition.

The print on plastic actually shields a five inch thick air conditioning unit ? a cool new way to merge technology with art.

Stuart Randles, senior engineer at Cool-Air Bermuda, sought out a way to show off the new technology and thought the gallery was the perfect place to do it.

He approached gallery director Peter Lapsley who was intrigued by the idea of transforming normally big and ugly air conditioners into art.

"It is interesting that everything can now be personalised," he said adding that since Night is the theme of the Open Members Show, Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' fits right in.

People generally do appreciate the look of the traditional indoor air-conditioning units so when Mr. Randles saw these flat coil units at a trade show before they even hit the US market last year, he jumped on the dealership.

"It is modern technology that is aesthetically pleasing and blends in with the room. People won't even notice it," he said adding that besides paintings, customers can also insert panels with a cherry wood, coloured or metal finish. A mirror panel is also available and he is also looking at whether panels can be modified to also feature local art.

He is now waiting to see how customers react to the air conditioners which range between 9,000-18,000 BTU.

The 12,000 BTU system at the BSOA will remain on exhibit until the show closes next Thursday.