Tag Archive for: lexus

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LEXUS UNVEILS THE WORLD’S FIRST TATTOOED CAR

In a celebration of fine craftsmanship and traditional Japanese artistry, Lexus has commissioned the world’s first tattooed car. This strictly one-of-a-kind interpretation of the UX compact SUV has been designed and created by leading London tattoo artist Claudia De Sabe.

LEXUS UNVEILS THE WORLD’S FIRST TATTOOED CAR

Lexus – The World’s First Tattooed Car Revealed

Using a pure white car as her “canvas” and a Dremel drill tool in place of a fine tattooing needle, Claudia produced a sweeping design featuring koi carp along the entire length of the vehicle. The koi is a motif familiar from traditional Japanese art, representing qualities of good fortune and perseverance.

Lexus has created a short film which goes behind the scenes to reveal how the tattooed car was made. It can be viewed here:

Claudia used the Dremel tool to drill away the surface paint and expose the metal underneath to create the complex pattern, and then applied five litres of high-quality car paint by hand to bring out the details. As a finishing touch, she used gold leaf to create highlights and give the design a stronger 3D effect, before the whole vehicle was given a protective lacquer coating so that it can be driven on the road.

LEXUS UNVEILS THE WORLD’S FIRST TATTOOED CAR

LEXUS UNVEILS THE WORLD’S FIRST TATTOOED CAR

The process took six months to complete from the initial drawings, with the “tattooing” accomplished over five eight-hour days of intensive work. It was physically demanding, with the vibration of the drill and working with an object that, unlike a human customer, couldn’t be moved into a comfortable position as the design progressed. Where any small slips in a human tattoo can quite easily be worked or coloured into the pattern, the “engraving” with the drill required absolute precision.

08-lexus-tattoo-claudiaportrait

08-lexus-tattoo-claudiaportrait

The tattooed UX doesn’t have a price tag, but it’s estimated the bespoke work would cost upwards of £120,000.

It was the first time Claudia had applied her skills to metal rather than human skin and she found both similarities and new challenges in the unique commission.

“When you tattoo a person, you have to think about the muscles and tissue beneath the skin. With the car it was about the way the bodywork changes shape over the framework,” said Claudia, who was assisted in her work by her Japanese-born husband Yutaro.

“‘The best thing about tattooing the Lexus UX, and the reason why this car was ideal for the project, is its streamlined shape. Everything from the lines on the side of the body to the shape of the windows, everything is just so dynamic and beautiful. It was a perfect fit for the design and the concept itself,” said Claudia, a co-founder of the Red Point tattoo studio in Islington.

The project stands as a tribute to the takumi craftsmanship that is applied to every Lexus, witnessed in design details and flawless finishes achieved with human skills perfected through years of dedicated training. Similarly, Lexus embraces traditional Japanese aesthetics in its vehicle designs, in elements such as the UX’s washi paper-grain cabin trims and the seamless merging of the interior and exterior through the front screen, echoing the engawa architectural features of Japanese homes.

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LEXUS CREATES MOON MOBILITY CONCEPT SKETCH FOR LUNAR DESIGN PORTFOLIO

LEXUS CREATES MOON MOBILITY CONCEPT SKETCH FOR LUNAR DESIGN PORTFOLIO

Joining an elite group of design industry luminaries, the luxury automaker was selected to contribute a suite of design concept drawings to Document Journal’s prestigious portfolio

For Document Journal‘s issue No. 15, the art & fashion magazine invited a selection of the culture’s most compelling architects and designers to find their inner Major Toms and imagine human life on the moon for The Lunar Design Portfolio. How shall we live? What will it look like? What will we wear? What will we drive?

ED2, the European Advanced Design Studio for Toyota and Lexus dedicated to advanced concept proposals and groundbreaking design, was selected to contribute a lunar mobility concept.  Drawing on the just-released LF-30 Future Concept vehicle, the studio created a series of 7 concepts from 5 different designers, a full lineup of space vehicles ready to tackle the lunar landscape.

”When Document Journal approached us about the Lunar Design Portfolio, our team was working on the LF-30 Concept, which represents the “Lexus Electrified” futuristic vision for Lexus. The design team was already looking beyond near-term production and ahead to how advanced technology will change the way we interact with vehicles,” said Ian Cartabiano, President of ED2.  “The lunar project came at the right time, half way through the LF-30 development. It gave the team a chance to dream further out, and then apply some of the design language from the LF-30 interior to their lunar proposals.”

Zero Gravity, the concept sketch selected to appear in the print issue of the magazine, is a single rider vehicle that evolves the LF-30’s “Lexus Electrified” vision to incorporate Magnetic Levitation technology.  The design reinterprets the signature Lexus spindle grille and uses the motorcycle-style of driving to employ the new concept of Tazuna (which mean “reins” in Japanese): the fundamental human-centered philosophy.  Inspired by how a single rein can be used to achieve mutual understanding between horse and rider, the steering control provides active driving enjoyment created by the direct communication between human and machine.

Lexus Lunar, by Yung Presciutti

Lexus Lunar is a massive transport vehicle designed to explore and discover the moon safely. The vehicle is divided into two parts: the bottom consists of a platform with 6 rugged wheels to give the freedom to go wherever you want. The upper part holds the living area. The two components of the vehicle can be also divided, with the upper portion detaching to create the start of a lunar colony.

About Document Journal

Launched in 2012, Document is a unique, biannual journal of American and global culture featuring the pre-eminent voices of arts and letters. The editors scoured the globe to select the most compelling and visionary thinkers and designers to participate in the Lunar Design Project. Complementing Lexus’s revolutionary and futuristic designs, Document invited leading architects Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, Dan Wood and Amale Andaos of WORKac, Kulapat Yantrasast of wHY, and Lyondon Neri and Rossana Hu to envision the built lunar world, resulting in a thought-provoking collection of both practical and esoteric approaches; inspired by the potential enlightenment found in liberation from gravity, artist Mariko Mori submitted an ethereal original work; industrial design powerhouse frog and Nike contributed ideas for revolutionary consumer goods; leading writer and sociologist Steve Fuller, author of Humans 2.0, explored the historical, social, and philosophical implications of a lunar colony; and world-class DJ Honey Dijon created the soundscape through an exclusive playlist. Document Issue 15 also features Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James and Queen & Slim star Daniel Kaluuya in conversation on the creation of a black mythology; cultural critic Roxane Gay, women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred, and writer Siri Hustvedt on a reimagining of the law according to women; and an intimate and playful feature on groundbreaking musician King Princess in conversation with Mj Rodriguez, star of Ryan Murphy’s hit show Pose.

Additional Design Concepts of the Lunar Design Portfolio:

OMA (architecture) – Orbit City

frog (industrial design) – LEAP Scooters; BLAST MAX

wHY (architecture) – Transcending Gravity

Mariko Mori (art) – Radiant Being I

Nike Design Team (footwear design) – Nike

Steve Fuller (sociology) –­ The Moon as Hotel California

Neri&Hu (architecture) – The Mooncake Longing for a Home It Never Knew

WORKac (architecture) – WORKac

DJ Honey Dijon (music) – Lunar Playlist

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