Apr. 09, 2019
The prototype showcases the Lexus brand’s desire to leverage design that contributes to a better tomorrow and aligns well with Lexus’ passion for human-centricity in the midst of evolution and innovation.
- Right: Lisa Marks, Grand Prix Winner of Lexus Design Award 2019
Left: Yoshihiro Sawa
- Lexus Design Award 2019’s elite judging panel has selected the Grand Prix winner from 1,548 entries from 65 countries, in an exciting culmination of this prestigious international event which supports the next generation of designers.
- Prototypes of the six finalists’ ideas created with the support of world-class creators through mentorship are on display at the Lexus Milan Design Week venue.
- The competition called for innovative ideas and transformative solutions, leveraging technology to build a better tomorrow.
MILAN, Italy (8 April 2019) Lexus International announced today the Grand Prix winner of Lexus Design Award 2019. Lisa Marks won the prestigious award for her design of “Algorithmic Lace” from a total of 1,548 idea submissions from 65 countries across the globe.
Through this program, and since its inception in 2013, Lexus puts into practice its commitment to support and nurture the next generation of designers who share Lexus’ belief in the power of design and innovation to shape a brighter future. The prototypes from all o this year’s finalists make creative use of technology to design practical solutions that have the power to change lives.
Joining the judging panel for the first time, internationally recognized designer and technologist John Maeda had this to say: “When we think of algorithms, we usually think of computers and the high-tech industry. But the textile industry is where algorithms were first deployed as a means to realize new aesthetic choices in fabrics during the 19th century. Lisa Marks “Algorithmic Lace” project not only feeds on that rich history, but goes even further back in time to incorporate a 16th century technique for weaving complex lace patterns. Marks uses this ancient process together with advanced three-dimensional modeling to handcraft bespoke bras for breast cancer survivors who have undergone mastectomy surgery. The result is a combination of function and beauty that positively impacts the survivor’s body aesthetic while also providing fully customized structural comfort.”
Grand Prix winner Lisa Marks said, as she accepted her award, “Lexus doesn’t have to do this. They could be a successful brand without it. But it shows their commitment to design and to a better world.”
- Lexus Design Award 2019 Judges, Mentors and Finalists
The Grand Prix winning prototype along with prototypes created by the other five Lexus Design Award 2019 finalists will be on display at the Lexus exhibition entitled “Leading with Light,” from 09 – 13 April 2019 at Milan Design Week’s Superstudio Più in the Tortuna district, the hub of Milan’s international design event.
The “LEADING WITH LIGHT” exhibition, inspired by Lexus’ latest illumination technology and produced in collaboration with new media design studio, Rhizomatiks, is an immersive and emotional experience. By combining playful and dynamic lighting with human dance and advanced robotics, this highly choreographed exhibition uses countless beams of light as robots interact with the movements of a single performer. Within the exhibition, an area called “LEXUS LIGHTS TOMORROW” showcases Lexus’ human-centered approach through cutting-edge vehicle lighting technology that can help shape a better and brighter future.
- Official hashtags
- #LexusDesignAward; #LexusDesignEvent
LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2019 FINALISTS
| Title of workAlgorithmic Lace | |
|---|---|
| This bra, made for post-mastectomy women, is custom crafted using a new methodology using algorithmic patterning to make three-dimensional lace. This avoids aspects of the bra that create discomfort after surgery, and give each woman a confidence in her new beginning. |
| NameLisa Marks | |
|---|---|
| CountryUSA | |
| Lisa Marks is an Industrial Designer specializing in combining craft research with algorithmic design in order to promote sustainable methods to help craft communities. Lisa has an MFA from Parsons School of Design and is currently faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology. |
| Title of workArenophile | |
|---|---|
| This project seeks a new purpose for desert sand, a naturally abundant material which has not been widely used. By creating composite materials using desert sand and non-toxic binders, this project proposes new products through experimentation and research. |
| NameRezzan Hasoglu | |
|---|---|
| CountryTurkey / Country of Residence: UK | |
| Rezzan Hasoglu is a product designer based in London. She graduated from Royal College of Art. Her design approach is very hands-on whilst combining digital tools. Focused on research and experimentation inspired from natural phenomena, she seeks ways of translating cultural nuances into tangible objects through exploring processes and materials. |
| Title of workBaluto | |
|---|---|
| The Baluto project seeks a solution in low-lying areas where the main concern is flood mitigation. This housing strategy provides a habitable space on land that can withstand a sudden rise in flood water level. |
| NameJeffrey E. Dela Cruz | |
|---|---|
| CountryPhilippines | |
| Jeffrey Dela Cruz is an Architecture Graduate from Saint Louis University, Baguio City, Philippines. He interprets Filipino architectural designs and is often inspired by indigenous forms, materials and constructions. He hopes his work will eventually have an impact in the research field. |
| Title of workGreen Blast Jet Energy | |
|---|---|
| Green Blast Jet Energy makes it possible to collect the energy of the jet blast of an aircraft taking off and to return it for different needs of airports. |
| NameDmitriy Balashov | |
|---|---|
| CountryRussia | |
| Dmitriy Balashov specializes in Industrial Design. He studied at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. He is inspired by unique and innovative ideas that offer comfort and rationality. |
| Title of workHydrus | |
|---|---|
| Hydrus is an emergency treatment equipment for offshore oil spills. This equipment does not only try to solve one problem, but also encourages people to deal with the changes in our earth’s environment. |
| NameShuzhan Yuan | |
|---|---|
| CountryChina | |
| Shuzhan Yuan is a product designer and graduated from Xiamen University of Technology. He tries to encourage deep thinking about meaningful things in our life through design. He compares design with the study and interpretation of this unknown world. |
| Title of workSolgami | |
|---|---|
| Solgami utilizes origami geometry to give apartment residents a closer connection to their external environment. Formed as a window blind, this geometry provides privacy, and puts the user in charge of deciding between greater internal illumination, or electricity generation. |
| NamePrevalent (Ben Berwick) | |
|---|---|
| CountryAustralia | |
| Ben Berwick runs Prevalent, an architectural startup focusing on social spaces and spatial technology. He specializes in advanced design, and received a Master’s degree in engineering whilst a Fellow at the University of Tokyo. He has a background in Architecture from the University of Sydney, where he now teaches. |
JUDGES PROFILES
SIR DAVID ADJAYE, ARCHITECT / PRINCIPAL AND FOUNDER OF ADJAYE ASSOCIATES, LONDON AND NEW YORK
Sir David Adjaye OBE is the principal and founder of Adjaye Associates. Born in Tanzania to Ghanaian parents, his broadly ranging influences, ingenious use of materials and sculptural ability have established him as an architect with an artist’s sensibility and vision. His largest project to date, the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened on the National Mall in Washington DC in fall of 2016 and was named Cultural Event of the Year by the New York Times. In 2017, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people of the year by TIME magazine.
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 numerous shows, written several books, and lectured worldwide. She has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles; the Harvard Graduate School of Design; and the MFA programs of the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is currently working on the XXII Triennale di Milano, Broken Nature, devoted to examples of design and architecture that aim at repairing humans’ relationship with nature; on the reinstallation of the contemporary design galleries in the new, expanded MoMA; and on a video and VR series entitled __&Design.
JOHN MAEDA, TECHNOLOGIST / GLOBAL HEAD OF COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN + INCLUSION, AUTOMATTIC
John Maeda is an American executive spearheading a new convergence across the design + technology industries. He joined Automattic in 2016 as Global Head of Computational Design +Inclusion and previously served as Design Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), a world-leading venture capital firm. An internationally recognized speaker and author, his books include The Laws of Simplicity, Creative Code and Redesigning Leadership. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering + Computer Science from MIT, an MBA from Arizona State U, and a PhD from University of Tsukuba in Japan. He was also a member of the Technical Advisory Board for Google’s Advanced Technology + Projects Group and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on New Growth Models. He previously served as advisor to John Donahoe, CEO of eBay Inc. Prior to his work in industry, Maeda was a tenured research professor at the MIT Media Laboratory and 16th President of the Rhode Island School of Design.
YOSHIHIRO SAWA, PRESIDENT OF LEXUS INTERNATIONAL
Yoshihiro Sawa has been innovating automobile design and engineering for over thirty years. A visionary anchored in the practical, he is acknowledged as a global leader in his field. Sawa has been involved in building better, more beautiful vehicles for decades, applying his unique perspective to the harmony of form and function. This has seen him lead various aspects of the business from engineering to design to product development, giving him a particularly holistic view of the art of building automobiles. Sawa applies this to his role at Lexus, guiding the brand in delivering on its promise of amazing experiences through inspired design, relentless innovation, and uninhibited performance.
MENTORS PROFILES
JAIME HAYON, ARTIST―DESIGNER, HAYON STUDIO
Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon was born in Madrid in 1974. His artistic vision was first fully exposed in the ‘Mediterranean Digital Baroque’ and ‘Mon Cirque’ installations. These collections put Jaime at the forefront a new wave that blurred the lines between art, decoration and design and a renaissance in finely-crafted, intricate objects within the context of contemporary design culture. Jaime further defined his vision in subsequent solo exhibitions and shows at major galleries, and design and art fairs all over the globe. After founding Hayon Studio in 2001, his wide client base has spanned diverse functions and mediums, including domestic furniture for b.d. barcelona, Cassina, Fritz Hansen, &Tradition, and Magis; lighting fixtures for Parachilna, Metalarte and Swarovski; and sophisticated objects for Bisazza, Lladró and Baccarat. He has also executed complete interiors for leading hotels, restaurants, museums, and retail establishments worldwide.
JESSICA ROSENKRANTZ, CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NERVOUS SYSTEM
Jessica Rosenkrantz is an artist, designer, and programmer. In 2007 she co-founded Nervous System, where she currently works as Creative Director. Her work explores how simulations of natural processes can be used in design and coupled with digital fabrication to create one-of-a-kind, customized products. She studied biology and architecture at MIT and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Since 2016, she has been teaching design at MIT. Her designs have been featured in a wide range of publications, including WIRED, the New York Times, and the Guardian and are part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
SHOHEI SHIGEMATSU, PARTNER AND DIRECTOR OF OMA NEW YORK
Shohei Shigematsu is a Partner at OMA and the Director of the New York office. Sho has completed a number of cultural projects including Milstein Hall for Cornell University, extension for the Quebec National Art Museum, Faena Forum in Miami Beach and the Costume Institute exhibition at the Met. He is currently engaged in a diverse range of projects across typologies: from cultural projects such as the extension to the Albright Knox Art Gallery, a museum expansion for the New Museum in New York City and the Dior retrospective at Denver Art Museum; to two office towers in Japan and three residential towers across North America―in New York, San Francisco and Miami.
SEBASTIAN WRONG, DESIGN DIRECTOR, ESTABLISHED & SONS
Design Director of Established & Sons and an award-winning product designer, London-born Sebastian Wrong has more than 18 years of experience in manufacturing. Sebastian originally studied sculpture at Norwich School of Art, before founding his first production company in 2001. Spanning both the creative and production side of the design business, he has accumulated an impressive array of technical skills. Sebastian has taught on the postgraduate diploma platforms at the Royal College of Art, London, and ECAL, Switzerland. As a designer, he has created commercially and critically successful products for some of the world’s leading brands, and his portfolio of work spans furniture, lighting, accessories and gallery projects. As a manufacturer, he has collaborated with many of the preeminent names in contemporary design.
ABOUT LEXUS
Lexus launched in 1989 with a flagship sedan and a guest experience that helped define the premium automotive industry. In 1998, Lexus introduced the luxury crossover category with the launch of the Lexus RX. The luxury hybrid sales leader, Lexus delivered the world’s first luxury hybrid and has since sold over 1 million hybrid vehicles.*
A global luxury automotive brand with an unwavering commitment to bold, uncompromising design, exceptional craftsmanship, and exhilarating performance, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of the next generation of global luxury guests and is currently available in over 90 countries worldwide.
Lexus associates/team members across the world are dedicated to crafting amazing experiences that are uniquely Lexus, and that excite and change the world.
*(1,464,275 units as of January 2019)
