An immersive art experience highlighting the future of modern mobility, “Time” was envisioned to explore the infinite possibilities created through the synergy of software and hardware, drawing inspiration from Lexus’s next-generation battery EV concept model LF-ZC.
Titled “Time”, Lexus’ installation at the world’s largest design event, Milan Design Week, in Milan, Italy, featured works by Hideki Yoshimoto / Tangent, winner of the inaugural LEXUS DESIGN AWARD, with sound by musician Keiichiro Shibuya, and Dutch solar designer Marjan van Aubel. Located in Art Point and Art Garden at the Superstudio Più in the Tortona design district, a hub for global creative convergence, the exhibit took place from 16 to 21 April 2024.
Lexus’ Chief Branding Officer, Simon Humphries, said: “Since its inception, Lexus has continually challenged the conventions of automotive luxury, striving to expand the horizons in both products and services to create unique, expectation-surpassing experiences for each customer. The theme of the installation, “Time”, comes from our belief that experience and time are inseparable concepts. Time is not something that simply passes; it’s the starting point of all special experiences. Lexus cherishes a human-centred philosophy, and we believe that providing people with unique experiences in an age where technology will allow cars to anticipate and evolve with the customer begins with exploring the relationship between people and time itself.”
The “Time” installation explores Lexus’s vision of a future with infinite possibilities enabled by technology. Software that anticipates the needs of the user has the power to continuously expand and evolve to produce unique experiential value for each individual. It also expresses Lexus’s resolve to redefine luxury in synergy with carbon neutrality, exploring how energy and software can advance mobility innovation.
This year, Lexus presented an installation of works by two designers who drew inspiration from the LF-ZC, a concept model that explores the possibilities for a next-generation Lexus battery electric vehicle (BEV).
At Art Point, Hideki Yoshimoto / Tangent presented “Beyond the Horizon”, expressing a world of next-generation mobility that evolves infinitely through software. Collaborating with musician Keiichiro Shibuya, the work immersed visitors in a world of light and sound. At Art Garden, the exhibit “8 Minutes and 20 Seconds” by Marjan van Aubel incorporated solar design and technology in pursuit of a carbon-neutral future.
Installation: “BEYOND THE HORIZON”
This interactive art exhibition was inspired by a future where the personal experiential value of mobility could be tailored to each individual, a vehicle constantly updating its software and transcending the traditional role as a means of transportation through a digital dialogue with customers.
To bring this to life, a single line of two-meter-tall interactive sculptures was erected, each completely uniform in its appearance yet emitting light in its unique ways, evoking different expressions. In the centre of the installation, as a symbol of exploration and innovation for the future of mobility, stood the Lexus next-generation battery EV concept LF-ZC.
Blending time-honoured craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology was one of the core themes of this installation. Utilising the rich heritage of Japanese Echizen washi paper and its 1,500 years of history, the installation boasted an expansive screen stretching four metres high and thirty metres wide, illustrating the ever-changing vistas of the horizon. This washi was infused with bamboo fibres, a nod to the material used in the LF-ZC, and symbolised the brand’s commitment to sustainability and refined luxury. This integration also signifies Lexus’s reverence for Japan’s traditional materials and masterful craftsmanship while forging ahead into the future.
Keiichiro Shibuya composed the “Abstract Music” sound installation piece to complement the exhibition concept. Sound images generated in real-time through programming from a vast amount of sound data moved around among the 31 speakers installed throughout the venue. No two moments were ever the same, as the sounds endlessly evolved. The changing of the horizon from Dawn to dusk, with LF-ZC as the guide to the future, the ten sculptures, and “Abstract Music”, all came together to create a unique, personalised, and immersive experience.
Installation: “8 Minutes and 20 Seconds”
This work expressed Lexus’s commitment to advancing the innovation of mobility by celebrating the potential of energy and software while aiming for the coexistence of carbon neutrality and luxury. The installation, which depicted a to-scale representation of the concept model LF-ZC, utilised solar power, harnessing energy from organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells and storing it in built-in batteries. It was equipped with motion sensors that responded to visitors’ movements, creating an immersive light and sound experience. This aimed to reflect humans’ potential synergy with the natural environment, making the visitor an active participant in this vision of the future.
Named for the time it takes sunlight to reach the Earth’s surface, “8 Minutes and 20 Seconds” imagined the car positioned among holographic trees and a reflective seating area, set against a backdrop of an interactive sun. Created with sixteen of van Aubel’s Sunne solar lamps arranged in a circle, the sun changed colour when visitors touched a sensor made from a new bamboo fabric developed by Lexus, sending a signal that triggered a personal sunrise for each visitor.
In addition, the installation used natural sounds such as the rustling of bamboo, an auditory representation derived from the bamboo material used in the interior of the LF-ZC, which was the inspiration for this artwork.
“BEYOND THE HORIZON” Designer Profile: Hideki Yoshimoto / Tangent
Designer, Creative Director. Project Associate Professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo.
Born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1985, Hideki completed his master’s in Aerospace Engineering at the Graduate School of The University of Tokyo in 2010 and his doctorate at the Royal College of Art in London in Design Engineering in 2016. He founded the design studio Tangent in London in 2015, and then in 2020, he co-founded the field of Advanced Art and Design at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at The University of Tokyo and further expanded his activities based in both London and Tokyo. He specialises in the progressive integration of design and engineering, providing numerous designs and concepts for world-famous luxury brands, as well as engaging in a wide range of fields, from the development of new businesses based on technology to urban development. His recently founded international initiative Craft x Tech connects traditional Japanese crafts with cutting-edge technology, and he actively presents artworks through collaborations with traditional crafts, working on the evolution and passing on of Japanese culture.
His main works include the giant wall art “Orb” (2023) for the Tanegashima Space Art Festival, the “Dawn” (2023) that fuses traditional Kanazawa gold leaf with state-of-the-art laser processing technology, the installation “Here” (2019) for the Hermès pavilion at the international fine watch salon SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie), the glass sculpture “Rise” (2017) released from Wonderglass, the animation “Ascension” (2016) for the facade of the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, and the lighting “Inaho” (2013) inspired by swaying rice plants.
Hideko is the recipient of many awards in the fields of design and engineering, including the Excellence Award from the Artificial Intelligence Society of Japan, Super Creator certification from the IPA Unexplored Software Project, Wakayama Prefectural Culture Encouragement Award, LEXUS DESIGN AWARD, and Reddot Design Concept Best of the Best.
“BEYOND THE HORIZON” Designer Profile: Keiichiro Shibuya / ATAK
Musician. Graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts with a degree in composition.
Keiichiro’s wide range of works spans from cutting-edge electronic music to piano solos, operas, film scores, and sound installations, and he has bases in Tokyo and Paris. In 2012, he presented the first Vocaloid opera, “THE END”, starring Hatsune Miku, with costumes by Marc Jacobs, then the designer for Louis Vuitton, which premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and went on to tour the world. In 2018, he unveiled the Android Opera® “Scary Beauty”, featuring a humanoid android equipped with AI conducting an orchestra while singing. In 2021, his opera “Super Angels” held its world premiere at the New National Theatre. In 2022, he presented the Android Opera® “MIRROR” at the Dubai Expo, and in 2023, he premiered the full seventy-minute version of the same work at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Has also worked on numerous film scores, and in 2020, won the Music Award at the 75th Mainichi Film Awards and the 30th Japan Film Critics’ Awards for the movie “Midnight Swan”. Through his works, he questions the boundaries between technology, life, and death.
“8 Minutes and 20 Seconds” Designer Profile: Marjan van Aubel
Marjan van Aubel is a solar designer from the Netherlands who explores innovations that combine solar power and technology for a sustainable future. Her self-titled studio engages in creative activities to incorporate solar energy into daily life, and she has earned numerous awards. She continues to create a future that fuses sustainability, design, and solar technology. She aims to bring about lasting change through solar design, integrating solar power generation into lives through buildings and objects, making it more accessible. Her passion aligns with the Lexus story, which aims to enhance the experiential value of BEVs as a familiar element in people’s lives, leading to an eventually carbon-neutral society. Her main works include “Sunne”, “Current Table”, “Power Plant”, and the roof of the Dutch Pavilion at the 2020 Dubai Expo.
Van Aubel graduated with a master’s in Product Design from the Royal College of Art in 2012 and a bachelor’s from the DesignLAB at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in 2009. She collaborates with well-known brands like COS, Timberland, and Swarovski to accelerate the global transition to solar energy. Furthermore, she was appointed an ambassador for the Dutch Design Week in 2022, enhancing her commitment to solar energy.