New Lexus Installation Celebrates the Art of Design

Big Reveal

Aside from existing as a maker of fine luxury automobiles, Lexus has long been a supporter of the arts, hosting more than a few endeavors of this type over the years. The latest is a partnership with New York-based artist and architect Suchi Reddy, founder of Reddymade Architecture and Design, who unveiled her latest reimagined piece - Shaped by Air - at Superstudio for Milan Design Week.

Photos: Lexus

Shaped by Air

Reddy’s Shaped by Air installation draws inspiration from the Lexus Electrified Sport concept vehicle and its quality of being "shaped by air." It was first presented in the sculpture garden at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) during Miami Art & Design Week 2022, and it has been reimagined for Milan Design Week as a multisensory experience through which visitors can travel. 

Photos: Lexus

Forward Looking

“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Suchi Reddy in Milan, a place that has inspired so much groundbreaking creativity. We hope that by situating her human-centered approach to design in dialogue with the innovation of our LEXUS DESIGN AWARD winners, we will inspire visitors to imagine new futures,” said Brian Bolain, Lexus’ Global Head of Marketing. “The Lexus Electrified Sport, Reddy’s interpretation of it, and these award-winning ideas all represent forward-looking design and express our ongoing commitment to craftsmanship and sustainability.”

Photos: Lexus

Finding Harmony

Situated inside Superstudio, the site-specific installation invites guests to discover a to-scale interpretation of the Lexus Electrified Sport after traveling through an enveloping forest of its composite shapes, which are suspended from the ceiling. These organic and textured leaflike forms - produced in varying heights in a vibrant shade of green - subtly call to mind the cutouts of Henri Matisse. Comprised in part of post-consumer materials, the sculptural steel and aluminum elements are punctuated by dappled light, creating an environment that invites deep absorption and evokes the natural world. An accompanying soundscape, which draws inspiration from the wind, brings visitors further into harmony with nature.

Photos: Lexus

Different Point of View

Reflecting Lexus’ commitment to omotenashi - a concept encompassing both hospitality and mindfulness - the Superstudio space invites visitors to rest in an upstairs lounge, where they can observe Shaped by Air from a different vantage point. The lounge’s air is purified by Panasonic’s nanoe X, a technology that offers a healthier in-car atmosphere in six Lexus models.

Photos: Lexus

Digital Experience

Digital audiences will have the opportunity to engage with Shaped by Air through a partnership with Diorama - a Milan and Paris-based digital creative agency. Diorama has imagined the installation as a metaverse experience that complements the physical installation but has a life of its own. This virtual extension is realized as a dynamic digital forest where users can explore an abstract natural world from a never-been-seen perspective, one filled with the rustling of leaves, sinuous currents of air, and diffusions of light. Additionally, Diorama has produced an augmented reality journey that visitors in Milan will be able to discover on-site through a custom Lexus Instagram filter.

Photos: Lexus

New Interpretation

“I am excited to partner with Lexus - a brand committed to uplifting artists and designers - on a new iteration of Shaped by Air. This immersive interpretation in Milan makes use of repetition, multisensory elements, and three-dimensionality to create an emotional environment that envelops the body like a car,” Reddy said.

Photos: Lexus

>>Join the conversation about this Lexus art installation right here at ClubLexus.com.

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