This week in Miami, Lexus raised the curtain on “Liminal Cycles,” a multi-dimensional and immersive installation that exemplifies the leading luxury brand’s innovative, artistic prowess. Skillfully created alongside Crafting Plastics, the Bratislava-based research and design studio, the dazzling presentation unfolds in alliance with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami), currently on view at ICA through December 15. The show was energized by the pioneering Lexus LF-ZC (Lexus Future Zero Catalyst) Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) concept car, fusing striking material originality with lush details of responsive personalization and technology.
Simultaneously, Lexus debuts an awe-inspiring, limited-edition capsule collection of 26 collectible design objects. Each treasure by Crafting Plastics and illustrious creators Germane Barnes, Michael Bennett (Studio Kër), Suchi Reddy, and Tara Sakhi (T SAKHI) revels in profound themes such as sustainability, performance, technology, personalization, and materiality—the glowing spirit of Lexus now and for its bright future.
Installation view of “Liminal Cycles” at the ICA Miami. Photo by Steve Benisty.
Showcasing Innovation in Lexus Design at ICA Miami
“This installation presents a rare opportunity to explore an ambitious creative project that demonstrates the extensive capabilities of biomaterials with minimal compromises,” said Vlasta Kubušová, co-founder of Crafting Plastics. “We are proud to showcase our vision alongside Lexus, a brand that shares the same values of sustainability and innovation in design. We hope that visitors will be inspired by the possibilities of bio-based materials and begin to view them as an asset of our shared future.”
“We are proud to showcase our vision alongside Lexus, a brand that shares the same values of sustainability and innovation in design,”
Vlasta Kubušová
Within the fantastical ICA Miami sculpture garden, visitors learned critical details on SDVs (Software Defined Vehicles), facilitating software-enabled customization for the utmost in luxury design tailor made for each discerning client and their individual preferences. The installation melded cutting-edge art and design to riveting effect, engrossing guests in the wonders of SDVs and the latest responsive technologies.
Installation view of “Liminal Cycles” at the ICA Miami. Photo by Steve Benisty.
Behold an Echoing of the Lexus LF-ZC in Responsive Sculptures
Kubušová and Miroslav Král, co-founders of Crafting Plastics, along with a visionary team, unveiled the hypnotic car sculpture as a mesmeric echoing of the Lexus LF-ZC. The creative masterpiece is made up of 3D-printed bioplastic Nuatan®, which stands as a biodegradable material of 100% renewable resources. The “car” is cleverly enveloped in a UV-responsive material and responds brilliantly to the environment with an evolving color palette and rhythms in motion that mirror those of living beings.
Further, three additional installations captivate alongside the main event. Luxuriant design moments of the LF-ZC are introduced in sensory presentations such as a responsive flower sculpture with undulating sounds, conjuring the vehicle’s steering wheel. An imaginative headrest sculpture beckons with ever-changing scents, and a lattice sculpture expertly utilizes the forces of the wind in UV-reactive bioplastic material.
Installation view of “Liminal Cycles” at the ICA Miami. Photo by Steve Benisty.
An Exclusive Capsule Collection with Lexus, Crafting Plastics, and Premier Designers
The newest Lexus capsule collection illuminates a momentous partnership with Crafting Plastics designers and some of the most forward-thinking designers of our time. Invoking the masterful Lexus mindset at every turn, each sensorial vessel is designed to cradle exclusive Lexus candles or diffusers.
Radiant materials abound in each singular object, including gold leaf, recycled aluminum sourced from a Lexus hood, fired clay and ceramic, as well as amber glass. Reddy’s Bloom is a rapturous centerpiece of interlocking slit paper with proficient use of technology, while Sakhi (T SAKHI)’s Memory series embraces sustainability in material progress as the epitome of luxury design. Bennett reveals luminous Synesthesia amber glass vessels, Crafting Plastics offers the Ephemerables series with riveting personalization in bioplastics, and Barnes’ The Beauty of Labor meditates on the authoritative performance of Lexus design.
Installation view of “Liminal Cycles” at the ICA Miami. Photo by Steve Benisty.
