It's All about Anticipation as Lexus Design Award 2016 Opens for Entries
15 Aug 2015
Lexus International has announced its call for entries for the Lexus Design Award 2016. First launched in 2013 to foster the growth of ideas that can contribute to society, this international design competition aims to support up-and-coming creators from around the world.
The theme for the Lexus Design Award 2016 is "Anticipation". At Lexus, we strive to develop products and services by anticipating the needs of people and society. This year's applicants are encouraged to submit innovative designs and unique interpretations that are true to the essence of the theme.
Lexus Design Award 2016 provides an opportunity for twelve finalists and their works to receive an introduction to the design community and beyond at Milan Design Week 2016*. In addition, four of the finalists will develop prototypes of their designs while receiving support from globally recognized design mentors. The maximum production budget allotted to the development of each prototype will be increased to three million yen (around USD $ twenty four thousand). The finalists will present their designs in the Lexus booth, after which the Grand Prix winner will be selected from among the four prototypes through final review by the judges.
Previous Lexus Design Award winners are actively displaying their talents around the world. Examples include Emanuela Corti and Ivan Parati's Sense-Wear, which was named the first-ever Grand Prix winner in 2015. Sense-Wear has been exhibited in Tokyo and Moscow alongside the works of other 2015 finalists. 2015 panel finalist Yuzo Azu is now preparing his INSTAMP for commercial release at Lexus dealerships in Japan. Sebastian Scherer, whose work Iris was named one of the winners in 2014, has launched his own design label and exhibited at Milan Design Week 2015.
Mark Templin (Executive Vice President of Lexus International) said, "For Lexus Design Award 2015, finalists gave amazing presentations at the Milan Design Week. These helped make the award a huge success. Whatever the field of design, we encourage applicants for 2016 to submit their most creative ideas that are aligned with our theme of Anticipation."
According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, TOYOTA Motor Corporation, “Over the last three years, the Lexus Design Award has resulted in the discovery of many talented designers while providing a unique opportunity for finalists to benefit from the experience of being mentored by acclaimed designers and then exhibit their design prototypes at one of the design calendar's most important events. We look forward to the 2016 edition and experiencing new ideas from gifted designers all around the world. We would also like to acknowledge the support from our customers who have appreciated the novelty and fresh ideas that have emerged as a result of this award.”
Entries to the Lexus Design Award 2016 competition will be accepted from August 10 through October 18. The twelve finalists will be announced in early 2016.
*The world's largest design exhibition, also known as Salone Del Mobile, with numerous events including furniture, fashion and many world-renowned brands. The "Lexus – A Journey of the Senses" exhibit in 2015 earned high acclaim and won the "Best Entertaining" award at the "Milano Design Award" competition.
Details of participation in Lexus Design Award 2016 Competition
| Title | Lexus Design Award 2016 | ||
| Application period | August 10 - October 18, 2015 | ||
| Theme | Anticipation | ||
| Judging criteria |
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| Judges | Paola Antonelli , Aric Chen , Toyo Ito , Birgit Lohmann ,Alice Rawsthorn | ||
| Mentors | Neri & Hu , Max Lamb , Elena Manferdini , Snarkitecture | ||
| Award categories | Lexus Design Award 2016 – Twelve finalists
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| Prizes/benefits |
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| Organizer | Lexus International | ||
| In cooperation with | designboom | ||
| Application Process | For more information, visit LexusDesignAward.com |
Judge and Mentor Profiles
Judges
Paola Antonelli / Curator- Antonelli joined The Museum of Modern Art in 1994 and is a Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design, as well as MoMA's Director of Research and Development.
Aric Chen / Curator- Originally from the United States, Chen is the newly appointed Curator of Design and Architecture at M+, the future museum for visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong. Before that, he served as Creative Director of Beijing Design Week in 2011 and 2012.
Toyo Ito / Architect- Ito graduated from the University of Tokyo, Department of Architecture in 1965. Among his many honors are the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize, Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement from the 8th International Architecture Exhibition "NEXT" at the Venice Biennale, Royal Gold Medal from The Royal Institute of British Architects and the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Birgit Lohmann / Chief Editor of designboom- Born in Hamburg, Lohmann studied industrial design in Florence before moving to Milan, where she has lived and worked since 1987. She worked as a designer and product development manager for a number of Italian architects and master designers. She has also worked as a design historian for justice departments and international auction houses. As a researcher and lecturer, she has conducted seminars on industrial design at a number of prestigious international universities. In 1999, she co-founded designboom, where she is currently the Chief Editor, Head of Educational Programming and Curator for International Exhibitions.
Alice Rawsthorn / Design Commentator- Alice Rawsthorn is the design critic of the International New York Times. Alice is a trustee of the Whitechapel Gallery and the Michael Clark Dance Company, and chair of trustees at the Chisenhale Gallery.
Tokuo Fukuichi / President of Lexus International- Graduated with a bachelor's degree in art and design from Tama Art University. He has held many design-related positions at Toyota Motor Corporation, leading up to his current position as the president of Lexus International.
Mentors
Neri & Hu / Architects and Interdisciplinary Designers- Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, cofounders of Neri & Hu Design and Research based in Shanghai, have been working on projects around the world which incorporate overlapping design disciplines to create a new paradigm in architecture. Neri & Hu believes strongly that research is a key design tool as each project brings its own unique set of contextual issues. Neri & Hu recognizes that contemporary problems relating to buildings extend beyond the boundaries of traditional architecture. Rather than starting from a formulaic design, Neri & Hu's work is anchored in the dynamic interaction of experience, detail, material, form and light.
Max Lamb / Designer- A modern day artificer, Max Lamb is a product and furniture designer whose design sensibility is informed by his extensive knowledge of manufacturing techniques, respect for materials, and skill as a maker. A native of Cornwall, Max has been tinkering with objects and engaging with the physical landscape since he was a small boy; a curiosity that led to an MA in Design Products at the Royal College of Art and subsequently the foundation of his workshop-based design practice. Max explores both traditional and unconventional materials and processes, blending experimentation and rationale to create furniture and products that are both honest and intelligible. Max teaches Design Products at the Royal College of Art and runs regular design workshops for companies and institutions around the world.
Elena Manferdini / Designer and Architect- Elena Manferdini, founder and owner of Atelier Manferdini, in Venice California, has completed design, art and architectural projects in the United States, Europe and Asia including the Pavilion of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Her firm has collaborated with internationally renowned companies such as Swarovski, and Sephora and her work has been featured in journals and publications including Elle, Vogue and the New York Times. She was recently awarded the 2013 COLA Fellowship to support the production of original artwork.
Snarkitecture / Artists and Architects- In 2008 Daniel Arsham and Alex Mustonen founded Snarkitecture, a collaborative and experimental practice operating in territories between art and architecture. Snarkitecture designs permanent, architectural scale projects and functional objects with new and imaginative purposes, creating moments of wonder and interaction that allow people to engage directly with the surrounding environment. Transforming the familiar into the extraordinary, Snarkitecture makes architecture perform the unexpected.
