formafantasma creates an encounter with anticipation for LEXUS during milan design week

formafantasma creates an encounter with anticipation for LEXUS during milan design week

for milan design week 2016, formafantasma has realized a site-specific installation in the venue for the LEXUS design award 2016 — an event which designboom has once again co-organized this year. italian designers andrea trimarchi and simone farresin of formafantasma have interpreted this year’s theme of ‘anticipation’ through the expression of elements embedded at the core of LEXUS’ production methods. these themes include the development and evolution of ecological technology for application in mobility, as well as the fusion of machine and craftsmanship.

in terms of materiality, ‘an encounter with anticipation‘ combines contemporary finishes — like car paint, cast resin and stainless steel — with traditional materials like cotton fabric and pine wood. the industrial interiors of spazio LEXUS – torneria in milan, a former metal factory, are softly illuminated using several light boxes referencing traditional japanese architecture and the origins of the LEXUS brand.

installation view of ‘concept car’ in room 3

in the first and largest space, formafantasma draws from the LEXUS LF-FC concept by using advanced hydrogen fuel cell technology to power a kinetic light installation. ranging in height from 2 to 6 meters, the four stainless steel sculptural objects move slowly, creating a subtle choreography atop a highly reflective pink platform they are situated on. tanks located under the platform supply the hydrogen used by the fuel cell stacks to produce electricity to illuminate the kinetic lights.

in keeping with LEXUS’ tradition of supporting talents in a diverse range of creative fields, the exhibition space also hosts a food tasting by japanese-born, milan-based chef yoji tokuyoshi. formafantasma collaborated with michelin-starred chef tokuyoshi on the theme of water, since it is one of the hydrogen-richest elements in nature and the only byproduct emitted by a hydrogen fuel cell technology.

a loom-like machine pulls and releases thousands of threads

the second space, which hosts the annual LEXUS design award, features a series of 16 metal stools whose simple form highlights their glossy finish — the same paint process applied to the LF-FC automobile. the technique involves a sophisticated method of layering colors by hand and a machine that is based on traditional japanese lacquering techniques. the result is a subtle, yet complex tone that appears either dark grey or blue depending on the light of the surrounding environment.

the threads are stretched, they recreate a three-dimensional outline of the new LEXUS LF-FC

finally, after visiting LEXUS’ headquarters in japan, formafantasma decided to base the design of the installation for the third space on the brand’s heritage, which can be traced back to japan’s early mechanized textile industry. in homage to these early roots, a loom-like machine pulls and releases thousands of threads that, when stretched, recreate a three-dimensional outline of the LF-FC. placed in the center of a room with walls inspired by japanese shoji, the floating image of the concept car takes shape in an unexpected way.

the floating image of the concept car takes shape in an unexpected way