Architect Sou Fujimoto with Lexus

Lexus has been working with some of the top Japanese creators since they started participating in Milan Design Week. This year they chose architect Sou Fujimoto. The title is “Lexus – L finess Crystallized wind”. It is all made of acrylic.

Press Release
Lexus will return to the Milan Design Week this year with an art exhibition entitled ‘Lexus L-finesse – crystallized wind -’, a combination of Lexus L-finesse design philosophy and the very finest in contemporary art, architecture and design elements from Japan.

The exhibition will take place in Milan’s Museo della Permanente art gallery from 22 to 26 April as part of the world’s largest design exhibition, the Salone del Mobile di Milano.

Ground-breaking Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto will interpret the Lexus design philosophy ‘L-finesse’ through a dynamic installation that brings together space, sound and lighting.

“Crystallized wind is the result of a conceptual interpretation of the underlying principles of L-finesse design”, explains Sou Fujimoto.

“The term wind addresses not only the flow of wind, but also symbolises a flow or current in a greater sense. It is a new horizon where the natural and the artificial coexist in space. I wanted to find a way to give form to that which is formless: to take the flow of air and the passing of time and to represent them in such a way as to explain the essence of the duality of L-finesse. The result is an art form that represents movement yet stillness, and the flow of time in a timeless environment.”

The Lexus exhibit will display an acrylic art piece based on the full-size Lexus LF-A super sports concept car and will also include a specially designed piece of acrylic furniture.

Lexus has participated in the Milan Design Week since 2005, using the platform to express the L-finesse message through different artists and fields. This year Lexus also aims to demonstrate the traditions and innovations of designs crossing each other.

“L-finesse design is much more than a surface approach and is certainly not confined to automotive design, we are trying to look much deeper than that, we use the Japanese influence in that way.” Said Wahei Hirai, Managing Officer of Design Center.

“That is also why we like to collaborate with leading artists and designers instead of just working with our own automotive designers. This way, we inspire each other and we can go much more in depth. However, even if we keep the same consistency at the same time we change the way we represent our design philosophy over the time.”

Artist Profile: Sou Fujimoto

Sou Fujimoto was born in Hokkaido in 1971. He studied architecture at the Engineering School of Tokyo University before founding Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2000. Recognised by the AR Awards for Emerging Young Architects in 2005 and 2006, he was awarded the Grand Prize in 2007, and himself became a jury member in 2008. Several further awards have contributed to the burgeoning international recognition of Sou Fujimoto’s work: in 2008, he won both the JIA Architecture Grand Prize and the World Architecture Festival Private House Category. He has been elected to the Design Vanguard by the international journal Architectural Record, and recently received the Wallpaper magazine 2009 Design Award. Sou Fujimoto’s own, 2008 publication, Primitive Future, has been widely recognised for its contribution to the fields of architecture and design.

L-finesse Design

L-finesse combines “Leading-edge” and “finesse”, two factors that define both the history, and future of the Lexus brand. Drawing from Japanese aesthetic values, L-finesse creates a unique dynamism based on the visual contrast between the purity of simplicity and the depth of “intriguing elegance”. Seamless anticipation, a major facet of L-Finesse, also adds a sense of individual presence to all Lexus design, by creating a personal and individual experience for each and every customer.

LF-A high-performance concept car

Combining the cutting-edge technology and the outstanding driving dynamics of a two-seat sportscar, the LF-A concept car is more than merely a radical statement of supercar performance. Incorporating the very latest developments in high-performance engineering technology, with the core values of the L-finesse design philosophy, the LF-A redefines the boundaries of the ultra-high performance sportscar landscape. With a chassis and bodywork made out of carbon fibre and aluminium, the LF-A also features a lightweight, all-alloy V10 powerplant capable of developing more that 500 DIN hp from a cubic capacity of less than 5.0 litres. Allied to optimum gearing, weight and aerodynamics, the drivetrain is designed to afford the vehicle a maximum speed in excess of 320 km/h. The V10’s front mid-engine placement, along with a rear-mounted transmission and rear-mounted radiators, allows for perfect front/rear weight distribution.
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