With such grand-scale projects as last year’s Solar Biennale and the widely celebrated Sunne lamp, designer Marjan van Aubel has taken the industry by storm. The polymath has worked tirelessly to push solar energy generation in new directions with her own work while also surveying the potential of its expanded application. It comes as no surprise that when Japanese luxury car manufacturer Lexus tapped the Dutch talent to develop its Miami Art & Design Week 2023 installation (on view last December), she chose to develop a display not only inspired – but also powered – by this ever-evolving technology. The project wins Best Solar Roller in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024.
8 Minutes and 20 Seconds, Marjan van Aubel's installation with Lexus in Miami, where it was on view in December 2023
Named for the time it takes sun rays to reach Earth, 8 Minutes and 20 Seconds comprises a visually informative representation of the company’s zero-emission Lexus Future Zero-emission Catalyst (LF-ZC) concept car – a version of which is set to hit the market in 2026. Ten translucent scrims line up to mark out the to-scale contour of the sculptural, performance-forward vehicle.
‘When speaking to Lexus’ colour and sensory designer Viviana Hohenstein about how she imagined it would be like to sit inside the vehicle, she described there being a lot of glass and the driver being positioned a bit lower, like in a sports car,’ says van Aubel. ‘I thought about creating something life-size that would be an illusion; a 2D representation of a 3D car sliced into many parts.’
During the day, the installation takes on graphical qualities while becoming more performative as dusk falls. Third-generation OPV (Organic Photovoltaic) solar cells, embedded in the front and rear, bring in ample amounts of energy to power a fully immersive showcase at night. Various lights enliven the ‘cross section’ sheets as visitors activate different sensors.
Night view of 8 Minutes and 20 seconds
Below, an outline of the LF-ZC’s thin, full chassis EV battery illuminates through different intervals. If that weren’t enough, the ephemeral experience is topped off by a sound installation; an ambient melody accentuated with birdsong and bamboo notes. The car’s interior is set to be outfitted with precision-engineered material almost purely derived from the regenerative wood.
Marjan van Aubel with her installation
The designer worked closely with Amsterdam-based spatial and experience design firm Random Studio to realise her concept. While the road version of this vehicle will not necessarily run on integrated solar cell technology directly, van Aubel is hopeful that operating entirely self-powered cars will soon become a possibility. ‘What’s great about this installation is that it shows how solar technology can also be attractive and applied to an aesthetically pleasing form, a high-concept Lexus car for example,’ says van Aubel.
MarjanvanAubel.com, Lexus.com, Lexus.co.uk, Random.Studio
A version of this article appears in the February 2024 issue of Wallpaper* – dedicated to the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024 – available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
-
Snailed it: Jessica McCormack and the Haas Brothers’ playful jewelleryJessica McCormack and the Haas Brothers give a second jewellery collaboration a swirl
-
Iné in Hampstead is a Japanese restaurant with a contemporary touch
Iné in London's Hampstead reflects edomae traditions, offering counter omakase and à la carte dining in a minimalist, contemporary setting
-
Jonathan Baldock’s playful works bring joy to Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Jonathan Baldock mischievously considers history and myths in ‘Touch Wood’ at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
-
Genesis X Gran Berlinetta is Best Game Changer
Genesis brings its A-game to the virtual realm with a concept car designed purely for use in Gran Turismo, picking up a Wallpaper* Design Award 2024 en route
-
The debut Japan Mobility Show saw the country’s carmakers preview the near future
The 2023 Japan Mobility Show offered up a vast array of futuristic transportation, from concept sports cars to autonomous taxis, and eVTOL aircraft
-
New Lexus LBX is big on quality, small in size, with a clean contemporary design language
Lexus downscales luxury with the new LBX crossover, a compact hybrid that’s the Japanese premium brand’s smallest product to date
-
The Lexus UX 300E leaps from hybrid to pure EV
Unlike many current EVs, the Lexus UX 300e has a very welcome feeling of lightness
-
What we learned from Tokyo Motor Show 2019
With the axis of Asian automotive show influence long since moved from Japan to China in commercial terms — China is the biggest vehicle sales market in the world — the role of Tokyo’s biennial Motor Show has increasingly been to push Japanese vehicle makers’ high-tech creativity and advanced design skills
-
Understanding the subtleties of Japanese artistry in Lexus’ 30th year
-
Lexus LY 650 Luxury Yacht marries Japanese performance with Italian aesthetics
-
Lexus RX L features genuinely useful technologies
