29
January
2015
|
02:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Lexus announces the 12 finalists of the 2015 lexus design award

ALL PROJECTS TO BE DISPLAYED AT THE LEXUS SPACE DURING MILAN DESIGN WEEK

Lexus announces the selection of 12 finalists for the third Lexus Design Award, an international design competition that was launched on August 11, 2014 centred around the theme of "Senses".

1,171 submissions from 72 countries were received during the application period, which ended on November 3, 2014. Twelve finalists have been selected after careful consideration by jury members composed of world-renowned designers and creators.

Among the finalists, four are receiving the unique opportunity to create a prototype of their project, with the help of renowned designers: Robin Hunicke, Arthur Huang, Max Lamb and Neri & Hu. Each of them has personally selected the finalist they will mentor, based on uniqueness, originality, relevance to the theme and the possibility of making a prototype. A Lexus Design Award Grand Prix Winner will also be nominated from among these four prototype finalists.

The prototypes will be displayed together with the other eight entries in the Lexus space in Zona Tortona during the Milan Design Week from April 14 to 19, 2015.

Entries Selected for Prototype Development

Title ANIMAL MASKS

Designer Keita Ebidzuka (Japan)

Description ANIMAL MASKS allow wearers to see the world through animals' eyes evoking a mythical world where symbolism meets reality.

Mentors Neri & Hu

Title Diomedeidae

Designers Adriano Alfaro (Italy), Daiki Nakamori (Japan), Gaetano Mirko Vatiero (Italy)

Description Generating electricity from its own flapping movements, Diomedeidae is a kinetic sculpture whose motion and light appeal to the senses.

Mentor Arthur Huang

Title LUZ

Designer Marina Mellado Mendieta (Spain)

Description LUZ uses emotional lighting technology to create an environment appropriate to any weather or climactic condition.

Mentor Max Lamb

Title Sense-Wear

Designers Caravan : Emanuela Corti and Ivan Parati (Italy)

Description Sense-Wear is a collection of garments and accessories that emphasize use of human senses.

Mentor Robin Hunicke

Entries selected for Panel Exhibits

Title Braille Reader

Designer Juchun Jung (South Korea)

Description The Braille Reader allows people with vision impairment to read printed materials, bridging the senses of sight and touch.

Title >crosswalk<

Designers Naoki Kaminaka and Ryo Yamaguchi (Japan)

(KAMINAKANAOKIproject2015)

Description >crosswalk< is a crosswalk design featuring arrows that guide pedestrians thus allowing smoother crossing.

Title Embodiment of Fractal

Designer Hiroyuki Morita (Japan)

Description Embodiment of Fractal invites the viewer to experience the fresh visual and tactile experience of the fractal growth of a natural forest.

Title Here Comes the Sun

Designers Chun-Fu Chen and Chi-Ming Pao (Taiwan)

(Department of Product Design, Shu-Te University)

Description Here Comes the Sun is a heater that simulates sunlight coming through a window providing warmth and hope.

Title INSTAMP

Designer Yuzo Azu (Japan)

Description Applying traditional East Asian brushwork principles, INSTAMP uses pressure and angle of touch to give emotion and artistic effect to Western lettering.

Title Leather?

Designer Amon Matsuo (Japan)

Description Through the application of traditional Japanese papermaking/molding techniques to powdered shoemaking by-products, a new unique material emerges.

Title Mnote, Mnemonic Note

Designer Benjamin Xue (Singapore)

Description Mnote is a writing pad designed to take advantage of our senses to improve memory and help us retain important information.

Title yamaori taniori tent

Designer Iyo Hasegawa (Japan)

Description Inspired by origami, this tent appeals to users' senses as it is transformed from a flat sheet to a visually appealing shelter.

An award ceremony will be held on Monday, April 13, 2015 at the Lexus space, T32 Torneria/Carrozzeria (Via Tortona 32), where the Grand Prix Winner will receive the 2015 Lexus Design Award trophy.

Judging Committee comments: "This year's Lexus Design Award drew a large number of submissions, and a wide variety of wonderfully original ideas. In keeping with the theme of "Senses," many submissions appealed to the five senses or emotional, rather than physical, aspects of the human experience. After extensive discussion the 12 finalist entries were selected for their potential contribution to design innovation."

More details can be found on the Lexus Global website at LexusDesignAward.com

Lexus Design Award Exhibition

Address: T32 Torneria/Carrozzeria, Via Tortona 32, 20144 Milan (Zona Tortona)

Dates: Press preview: April 13

Public days: April 14 till 19

Website: http://www.LexusDesignAward.com/

About Lexus Design Award 
The Lexus Design Award is an international competition launched in 2013 that targets next generation innovators from around the world. It represents an opportunity for designers to gain exposure at the Milan Design Week, one of the world's leading design events. Through this initiative, Lexus hopes to nurture and support creators and enrich our world as a whole. The jury includes curator Paola Antonelli, curator Aric Chen, architect Toyo Ito, designboom chief editor Birgit Lohmann, design commentator Alice Rawsthorn and Lexus International president Tokuo Fukuichi.
About Lexus
With the vision of Progressive Luxury, Lexus has been pursuing and presenting values different from those of conventional luxury makes. Lexus has been striving not only to create a more luxurious experience through automobiles, but also, through such technological advancements as the Lexus Hybrid Drive, to contribute to efforts to solve numerous issues that have surfaced in the modern world. Lexus believes that design for this competition goes beyond mastery of form and is a process in problem solving and an effort to propose solutions to shape a better society and future. Lexus therefore welcomes a wide variety of innovative ideas to overcome challenges.
Contact: 

Etienne Plas

e-mail

T +32 2 745 20 22

M +32 479 999 613

Alice Bartkowski

e-mail

T +32 2 745 34 58

M +32 473 621 554

Laurence Pothen

e-mail

T +32 2 745 34 33

M +32 474 882 429

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