Lexus today unveiled the refined proposals of the six finalists of the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2021, a global competition recognized for nurturing the next generation of creatives. The finalists were chosen from 2,079 submissions from 66 countries, using Lexus’ three key design principles, Anticipate, Innovate and Captivate as judging criteria. The finalists have been mentored by Joe Doucet, Sabine Marcelis, Mariam Kamara, and Sputniko!, who helped bring each proposal to fruition with the intent of leading to a Better Tomorrow.
Mentorship is a uniquely attractive core element of the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD. Six finalists are given the irreplaceable once-in-a-lifetime experience of being mentored directly by world class creators. Mentors provide diverse perspectives and help finalists refine their ideas through continued discussion. Nurtured by the synergy of the finalists’ insatiable curiosity and the mentors’ passion, each idea has evolved into an even more innovative proposal within the limited period of about three months.
Mentor Mariam Kamara said, “I’m impressed by the amount of work the finalists have been able to do in such a short time. They have really taken the advice and feedback we have given them in their stride, and showed a lot of passion and dedication into pushing their ideas to be all that they can be. It is obvious they care about the effect and impact their works can have, and it definitely comes across. The deep level of compassion they all show is absolutely commendable. I’m really staggered by everything they’ve been able to achieve.”
The six finalists will present their final proposals to a jury of renowned design leaders: Paola Antonelli, Dong Gong, Greg Lynn and Simon Humphries. One Grand Prix winning design will be announced on April 27th, marking the climax of this edition of the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD.
For more information, please visit LexusDesignAward.comOfficial Hashtag #lexusdesignaward
LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2021 FINALISTS
Title of work: CY-BO
Sustainable, reusable packaging material that can be assembled like cells.
CY-BO is a new form of cytologically-inspired packaging material that can transform into various shapes by combining the pieces together. Infinitely reusable and rearrangeable, it can be converted into all manner of products for different applications depending on the ideas of the user.
Name: Kenji Abe
Country: Japan
Kenji Abe is a graduate of the Tama Art University Product Design Department, who now works as a product designer based in Tokyo. While designing imaging products professionally, he also pursues personal design activities. He is curious about creating a better tomorrow for humans, nature, animals and the earth, and wishes to propose beautiful solutions to the problems we face.
Title of work: Heartfelt
A device that reimagines what being ‘present’ means in an isolated world.
Heartfelt explores what ‘being present’ might look like during the age of a pandemic, and seeks to assist with the anxiety and emotional stresses of being in isolation. The device reflects the heartbeat of your loved one, and promotes psychological support and personal connection.
Name: Gayle Lee and Jessica Vea
Country: New Zealand (Gayle Lee), Tonga (Jessica Vea) / Based in New Zealand
Gayle Lee and Jessica Vea are recent Bachelor of Creative Technologies graduates from Auckland University of Technology. They are passionate about creating meaningful products that help others and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between different fields and practices. They are hoping to start their Master of Creative Technologies degrees in 2021.
Title of work: InTempo
Phone cover and app that may help distract from stressful situations by novel usage of rhythm and music.
InTempo is an app and phone cover that aids people facing emotional stress (e.g. panic attacks, sociophobia) in public spaces / during public actions. Touching spots on the phone cover in time with music may help people calm themselves down.
Name: Alina Holovatiuk
Country: Ukraine
Alina Holovatiuk is a young architect from Kyiv, Ukraine. She is currently continuing her studies and research at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture in the Information Technologies in Architecture Department. Her approach to design is based on special attention to human emotions and their perception of the world.
Title of work: KnitX
Digital 3-D knitting of electronic textiles for immersive multi-modal gestural, auditory, and tactile material interaction.
KnitX explores the boundaries between electronics, textiles, and musical interfaces, imbuing interactivity to everyday fabrics. The result is a musical cloth that responds to tactile and proxemic gestures and an interactive carpet that evokes the bi-directionality between dance and music.
Name: Irmandy Wicaksono
Country: Indonesia / Based in USA
Irmandy Wicaksono is an electrical and textile engineer and designer. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the Responsive Environments, MIT Media Lab. His research focuses on developing soft and textile-based electronics for various applications ranging from health and well-being, human-computer interaction to interactive media and environments.
Title of work: Portable Solar Distiller
A portable and low-tech Solar Distiller, which merges water production with community architecture.
A low-tech solution utilizing sunlight to distill polluted and sea water. The portable design merges local resource production with community architecture, providing freshwater and a shaded gathering place. A lightweight, versatile structure configurable in different ways and materials, adapting to local environments and user needs.
Name: Henry Glogau
Country: Dual New Zealand – Austria / Based in Denmark
Henry Glogau is a New Zealander who recently graduated from the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark. His master’s degree specialized in Architecture and Extreme Environments, where he explored present and future global challenges in expeditions to diverse locations. Henry is now working as an Architect at GXN, the green innovation unit of 3XN.
Title of work: Terracotta Valley Wind
A terracotta evaporative cooling system for subway stations utilizing train-induced wind to function.
A terracotta evaporative cooling system that cools subway stations during summer and reduces energy consumption. Terracotta is an inexpensive and accessible clay material. Its porous nature allows water to quickly evaporate, while utilizing the unused wind resource in subway stations, maximizing the value of train-induced wind.
Name: Intsui Design (Yilei Lyu, Chenkai Guo, Baohua Sheng, Yu Zhang)
Country: China / Based in Japan
Intsui Design is a design group based in Tokyo. They are currently pursuing Master’s degrees at Tama Art University in the Integrated Design department. They explore the relationship between subconscious human behaviors and design. Their design practice focuses on people’s intuition and natural responses to objects and the environment.
LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2021 PANEL OF JUDGES
PAOLA ANTONELLI
SENIOR CURATOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN AT MoMA, NY
Paola Antonelli is Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as MoMA’s founding Director of Research & Development. Her goal is to promote design’s understanding, until its positive influence on the world is universally acknowledged. Her work investigates design’s impact on everyday experience, often including overlooked objects and practices, and combining design, architecture, art, science, and technology.
She has curated shows, written books, lectured worldwide, and taught in several schools, including Harvard and UCLA. Following the XXII Triennale di Milano in 2019―Broken Nature, devoted to the idea of restorative design, now on view in reduced format at The Museum of Modern Art―she has opened at MoMA the exhibition Material Ecology, on the work of architect Neri Oxman. She is currently working on several new sessions of her MoMA R&D Salons; and on the Instagram series @design.emergency―conceived with design critic Alice Rawsthorn―devoted to the role of design in the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
DONG GONG
FOUNDER / DESIGN PRINCIPAL OF VECTOR ARCHITECTS
Dong Gong founded Vector Architects in 2008. He and Vector Architects have been invited to various exhibitions including 2018 FREESPACE Venice Biennale, and won awards internationally including “100+ Best Architecture Firms” selected by Domus (2019); being nominated by Swiss Architectural Award (2018); the Overall Winner of Italian Archmarathon Awards (2016); “Design Vanguard” selected by Architectural Record (2014).
He has been invited as guest speaker and critic by universities, academic and professional institutions including Tsinghua University (China), University of Illinois (USA), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (Switzerland), Société Française des Architectes (France), etc. In 2019, the renowned architectural journal AV Monographs published a monograph of Vector Architects titled “Cosmopolitan Vernacular” (vol.220).
His representative works include Seashore Library, Seashore Chapel, Alila Hotel in Yangshuo, the Renovation of the Captain’s House, Changjiang Art Museum, and Suzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum.
GREG LYNN
ARCHITECT AND CEO PIAGGIO FAST FORWARD
Greg Lynn is the founder and owner of Greg Lynn FORM and cofounder and CEO at the robotics company Piaggio Fast Forward. In addition to buildings he has designed high performance sailboats, high technology robots, as well as furniture and consumer products for Vitra, Alessi, Swarovski, and Nike. He has served on numerous corporate executive and advisory boards and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Center for Architecture.
He won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture and represented the United States in the American Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture twice. He received the American Academy of Arts & Letters Architecture Award and was awarded a fellowship from United States Artists. He is currently o. Univ. Prof. Arch. at the angewandte Wien and Studio Professor at UCLA. He was the Davenport Professor at Yale University, Professor of Spatial Conception at the ETHZ, adjunct faculty at Columbia University and visiting faculty at Harvard GSD. He is the author of nine books.
SIMON HUMPHRIES
HEAD OF TOYOTA & LEXUS GLOBAL DESIGN
Simon Humphries is Head of Toyota & Lexus Global Design. He was appointed to oversee design for both brands in 2018. As Head of Lexus Global Design Humphries seeks to define Lexus’ unique values in the form of a brand philosophy, incorporating a clear cultural reference to Lexus’ Japanese heritage and building a design direction that is relevant to users around the world.
Humphries joined the company in 1994. His many roles in leadership and advanced design include defining the signature spindle grille that has become an icon for the Lexus brand. In 2016 he became President of ED2 (Toyota Europe Design Development) where his team spearheaded development of mobility concepts such as the Toyota e-Palette concept as part of the brand’s transition from “automotive company” to “mobility company.” Humphries began his career in design in 1988 when he was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Bursary Prize for Product Design in the UK. The award gave him the opportunity to work for Sony, which jumpstarted his passion for living and working in Japan. In his spare time Humphries enjoys carpentry and is restoring a 100-year-old Japanese farmhouse.
LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2021 PANEL OF MENTORS
JOE DOUCET
FOUNDER, JOE DOUCET X PARTNERS
A designer, entrepreneur, inventor and creative director, Joe Doucet is one of the most sought-after creative talents working in America today. His work deftly hybridizes function and visual appeal while conveying layers of meaning and message. Doucet believes that design and, more importantly, a designer’s thought process, can play a larger role in innovation and problem solving, as well as aesthetics. He currently holds numerous patents for his designs and inventions.
Doucet’s work has been exhibited globally and has received numerous international awards, including a World Technology Award for Design Innovation and multiple Good Design Awards. Doucet was named the 2017 Winner of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award as Product Designer―the highest honor in his field. He is also Designer of the Year 2019 finalist by Dezeen, and a recipient of Fast Company’s Most Important Design Companies of 2019.
MARIAM KAMARA
PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT, ATELIER MASOMI
Mariam Kamara, an architect from Niger, studied architecture at the University of Washington. In 2014, Kamara founded atelier masōmī, an architecture and research practice tackling public, cultural, residential, commercial and urban design projects. Kamara believes that architects have an important role to play in creating spaces that elevate, dignify, and provide people with a better quality of life. Collaborative project, Hikma Religious and Secular Complex, won the 2017 Gold LafargeHolcim Award for Africa and Middle East, and 2018 Silver Global LafargeHolcim Award for Sustainable Architecture. An upcoming project, the Niamey Cultural Centre, is designed by Kamara under mentorship of Sir David Adjaye as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé programme. 2019 saw Kamara named as a Laureate of the Prince Claus Award and a 2019 Royal Academy of Arts Dorfman Awards finalist. 2020 saw The New York Times name her as one of 15 Creative Women of Our Time. atelier masōmī made its debut on the 2021 AD100 list.
SABINE MARCELIS
DESIGNER / FOUNDER, STUDIO SABINE MARCELIS
Sabine Marcelis is a Dutch designer who runs her practice from the harbor of Rotterdam. After graduating from the Design Academy of Eindhoven in 2011, Marcelis began working as an independent designer within the fields of product, installation and spatial design with a strong focus on materiality. Her work is characterized by pure forms which highlight material properties.
Marcelis applies a strong aesthetic point of view to her collaborations with industry specialists. This method of working allows her to intervene in the manufacturing process, using material research and experimentation to achieve new and surprising visual effects for projects both showcased in musea and commissioned by commercial clients and fashion houses.
Sabine recently won the prestigious Wallpaper awards ‘Designer of the year 2020’, The Elle Deco International Design award 2019 ‘Young designer of the year’ and ‘GQ Men of the year 2019’ International Artist of the year.
SPUTNIKO!
ARTIST AND DESIGNER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN
Sputniko! is a British-Japanese artist and speculative designer based in Tokyo. She creates film and multimedia installation works which explore the social and ethical implications of emerging technologies, especially in the themes of gender and sexuality. She has presented her works in exhibitions such as the 2016 Setouchi Art Triennale, Milan International Design Triennale, Broken Nature (2019), Future and Arts at the Mori Art Museum (2019). From 2013 to 2017, Sputniko! was an Assistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab, where she founded and directed the Design Fiction research group. She is currently an Associate Professor of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts. To date, she has had pieces included in the permanent collections of museums such as the V&A and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
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