Milan,
17
April
2018
|
17:48
Europe/Amsterdam

‘TESTING HYPOTHETICALS’ BY EXTRAPOLATION FACTORY WINS THE LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2018

Lexus International announced the Grand Prix winner of the Lexus Design Award 2018 – Testing Hypotheticals by Extrapolation Factory (Christopher Woebken, Elliott P. Montgomery) – on April 16 during a ceremony held at the LEXUS LIMITLESS CO-EXISTENCE space in Milan.

From left to right: Simone Farresin of Formafantasma (Mentor), Yoshihiro Sawa (President, Lexus International), Elliott P. Montgomery of Extrapolation Factory (Grand Prix Winner), Andrea Trimarchi of Formafantasma (Mentor)

‘Testing Hypotheticals’ is a collaboratively imagined test site that explores speculative relationships between society, technology and the environment. This project has been submitted by Extrapolation Factory, a design-based research studio for participatory futures studies, founded by Elliott P. Montgomery (USA) and Chris Woebken (Germany). The studio develops experimental methods for collaboratively prototyping, experiencing and impacting future scenarios.

“This year’s winner permeates the current thinking about the role of design in our evolving and technologically shifting societies. Products played less of a role, and design education/teaching and thinking are at the forefront. How citizens and designers interact with products, processes and future is increasingly critical to mediating this influence of design in our increasingly future-orientated and technologically evolving world. The chosen design shows methods and techniques for engaging the public and designers in role playing possible futures and negotiating the influences of our technological world.” said David Adjaye, Lexus Design Award 2018 judge and architect.

Elliott P. Montgomery of Extrapolation Factory commented, “It was truly fantastic, and the experience was incredible to have worked with our mentors Formafantasma. We could not have done this without the support of Lexus.”

Lexus passionately believes in the power of design to change the world. This is why Lexus nurtures and celebrates up-and-coming designers who harness the power to shift perspectives, communicate ideas and stimulate the imagination to shape a better future.

Since 2013, the Lexus Design Award has supported the next generation of designers from around the world. For our sixth year, 2018, the Award’s theme is “CO-”, a Latin prefix meaning with or together. Lexus believes that great design can ensure the harmonious coexistence of nature and society. In that sense, “CO-" is an approach that allows the brand to explore its true potential and that of the environment by creating new possibilities through collaboration, coordination and connection.

Lexus Design Award 2018 drew a record 1319 entries from 68 countries.

From among the wealth of “CO-” design submissions, the judging committee has selected 12 finalists, four to be prototyped and eight to be shown as display panels. These are displayed to the international design community at Lexus’ “LIMITLESS CO-EXISTENCE” exhibition at the 2018 Milan Design Week.

LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2018 PEOPLE’S CHOICE

As a new initiative for 2018, Lexus has created the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2018 PEOPLE’S CHOICE. The public is invited to vote for its favourite design submission among the 12 finalists displayed in Milan. Anyone can vote on the Design Award website (www.lexusdesignaward.com) between April 16 and 21. The winner will be announced on April 23.

The Lexus exhibit at the 2018 Milan Design Week, ‘LIMITLESS CO-EXISTENCE’ is open to the public from April 17 to 22, 10:00 to 20:00, at Cavallerizze, Museo Nationale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Via Olona 6, 20123 Milan, Italy.

Official hashtags: #LexusDesignAward; #LexusDesignEvent.