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January 29, 2016
LEXUS Launches "LEXUS DESIGN AWARD" to Support Next-Generation Creators | LEXUS
LEXUS DESIGN AWARD | Lexus Design Award
Supporting the Next Generation of Creators
Establishment of the "LEXUS DESIGN AWARD"
From October 30 to December 31,Lexusis calling for creators of all genres under the theme of "Motion." Lexus has established the "LEXUS DESIGN AWARD" to support two award winners and provide them with an opportunity to realize their ideas on a global scale. This is an exciting challenge and a great opportunity for creators.
Text & Event Photographs by SUZUKI Fumihiko (OPENERS)
What Kind of Ideas Will Emerge? Lexus Seeks Creators
The international design competition "LEXUS DESIGN AWARD," newly established by Lexus to support "DESIGN" and create a richer society, and the details of its first iteration were announced on October 30, the opening day of TOKYO DESIGNERS WEEK 2012.
TOKYO DESIGNERS WEEK 2012, with the slogan "HELLO DESIGN!," features exhibits from a wide range of participants including companies, creators, students, and organizations. Tents, large-scale installations, and container-based booths line the area in front of the Mainichi Art Museum in Meiji Jingu Gaien, the central venue.
Lexus has set up its booth inside a large tent. Here, the newly established "LEXUS DESIGN AWARD" is introduced, along with information on how to apply.
Lexus Booth at TOKYO DESIGNERS WEEK 2012
One of the judges, Birgitt Roman, Editor-in-Chief of designboom
Regarding the details, Lexus is calling for submissions that view design as a problem-solving process and a solution for creating richness and a better future. The theme for this inaugural competition is "Motion." There are no restrictions on the genre of work, including architecture, product design, and fashion.
The submission period is from October 30 to December 31. Six judges will select 10 award-winning works, and their creators will be invited to Milan Design Week in April 2013.
Furthermore, the creators of two of these works will receive advice from "mentors"—product designer Sam Hecht and architect Junya Ishigami—and up to 5 million yen in production support from Lexus to create prototypes between February and March 2013. These prototypes will be exhibited at the Lexus venue during Milan Design Week. The other eight works will be displayed as panels, also at Milan.
At the press conference announcing the establishment of the award on October 30, architect Toyo Ito, one of the judges, commented as follows:
"After the Great East Japan Earthquake, it is time to reconsider the relationship between nature and humanity, sustainability, and ecology from a fundamental perspective. What is design? It is significant that the Lexus Award has been established at this moment when we must re-examine this question. However, beyond the question of whether a design is good or not, considering future lifestyles and the role of design within them is a common challenge across all fields of design."
Architect Toyo Ito, one of the judges
This award, which features an official application page on designboom, the world's largest design web magazine, and includes its editor-in-chief, Birgitt Roman, as one of the judges, is bound to become a vibrant, major event where creators from around the world compete with their ideas.