crafting plastics 3D prints lexus car as bio-based installation in miami

LIMINAL CYCLES BY LEXUS AND Crafting Plastics IN MIAMI

During Miami Art and Design Week 2024, Lexus and studio Crafting Plastics team up to unveil Liminal Cycles, a multisensory installation centered around a 3D printed car sculpture made from bioplastic. On view between December 1st and 15th at the garden of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami), the interactive installation invites visitors to get up close and watch the sculpture change its color in real time through environmental stimuli, such as UV radiation and how close the viewers are to the car. The base of the 3D printed car sculpture is Lexus’ LF-ZC model, a battery-electric concept car the manufacturer first introduced during the 2023 Japan Motor Show.

The brief is for Crafting Plastics to bring Lexus’ Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) concept to life. SDVs mean car owners define the style, format, and even identity of their vehicles by customizing them using in-house-developed software and other installed technologies. Upon knowing this, an idea comes to the design studio’s mind: a full-scale model of the smart LF-ZC, but 3D printed from Nuatan®–a bio-based material series that is biodegradable, based on 100% renewable resources and leaves no microplastics behind. ‘It’s based on sugars and starches,’ Vlasta Kubušová, co-founder of Crafting Plastics, tells designboom during our interview Miami. ‘The raw resource can vary, but we use mostly sugarcane. We also create different types of composites using agricultural byproducts and fibers like bamboo for specific materials that should be more flexible.’

Lexus and Crafting Plastics team up to produce a 3D printed car sculpture | all images courtesy of Lexus

Using Bioplastic for INTERACTIVE 3D printed car sculpture

Crafting Plastics is a Bratislava-based research and design studio founded by Vlasta Kubušová and Miroslav Král. Since 2016, they’ve been researching and developing alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics to use as materials in the creative industry. ‘We were trying to develop materials not based on oil and fossil fuel resources but completely natural. The material is 100% bio-based, biodegradable, and industrially compostable,’ Vlasta Kubušová tells us. It hasn’t been an easy ride, but safe to say it’s been successful because by combining sugars and starches with agricultural byproducts and fibers such as bamboo and other renewable materials, they’re able to come up with pieces that are biodegradable and compostable after use. That means that the 3D printed car sculpture they’ve produced for Lexus at the Liminal Cycles installation can be dissolved if the manufacturer wishes to not reuse it after Miami Art and Design Week 2024.

The car sculpture is made by feeding the Nuatan bioplastic into a 3D printer, and is then coated in a UV-responsive material. It’s because of this film that the car changes its colors as it reacts to its surroundings. In fact, it also expands and contracts as if it were breathing, visualizing the relationship between technology and nature.

Vlasta Kubušová and Miroslav Král, co-founders of Crafting Plastics

works at THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART (ICA), MIAMI

The 3D printed car sculpture isn’t alone in Lexus’ Liminal Cycles. In another parts of the ICA garden, three more satellite installations, also by Crafting Plastics, accompany the bioplastic vehicle. Each piece bears design elements that pivot back to the LF-ZC concept car. For the first artwork, the studio designs a flower-like sculpture, similar to the concept car’s steering wheel, that visitors can touch. When they do, the volume and intensity of the installation’s site-specific sound composition vary depending on how soft or firm people interact with it.

The second piece is a reimagination of the LF-ZC’s headrest. Crafting Plastics turns it into lounge seating that sprays a Lexus-inspired scent. The last has the flair of architecture because it’s a wind-activated, lattice-like sculpture. Just like the 3D printed car, this one has a UV-reactive bioplastic material to detect shifts in UV radiation. When it gets triggered, it subtly reveals the Lexus logo across its structure.

the installation is part of Liminal Cycles at Miami Art and Design Week 2024

A LIMITED-EDITION CAPSULE COLLECTION

All of these artworks faithfully follow the brief Lexus had in mind when they first conceived the project, and that is to create interactive, reactive, and software-like pieces that people can engage with and that can realize the concept of Software Defined Vehicles. At the event, Lexus also introduces a capsule collection 26 collectible design objects by Crafting Plastics, Germane Barnes, Michael Bennett (Studio Kër), Suchi Reddy, and Tara Sakhi (T SAKHI).

Each object responds to the brand’s ethos: personalization, sustainability, materiality, technology, and performance. Germane Barnes presents ceramic vessels from his series, The Beauty of Labor, echoing his award-winning research to reflect the value of high-quality performance in all aspects of design. Michael Bennett showcases a series of amber glass vessels, titled Synesthesia, as an exercise in materiality and repetition inspired by Lexus’ design process.

the sculpture change its color in real time because of environmental stimuli, such as UV radiation

Suchi Reddy crafts Bloom, a tabletop centerpiece for flowers and scents, using interlocking slit paper as a way to explore technology-based and intelligent design. In Memory, Tara Sakhi (T SAKHI) encounters sustainability as an expressive representation of material evolution, resulting in exceptional luxury design achieved through the fusion of recyclable material. As for Crafting Plastics, they come forward with bioplastics in modular, customizable, and biodegradable forms.

Fragrance brand dilo is also present, and their collaboration with Lexus results in a series of candles made of blood orange, bergamot, cedar, and moss – to name a few, specifically for the collection. Until December 15th, 2024, visitors to Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami can experience the Liminal Cycles installation. Read our conversation with Vlasta Kubušová below to learn more about the design process of the 3D printed car, the materials that have brought it to life, and the other installation pieces that are on view.

the base of the 3D printed car sculpture is Lexus’ LF-ZC model, a battery-electric concept car

INTERVIEW WITH CRAFTING PLASTICS’ VLASTA KUBUŠOVÁ

designboom (DB): It’s nice to meet you here in Miami, Vlasta. Can you tell us about Crafting Plastics and the work you do at the studio?

Vlasta Kubušová (VK): My partner Miroslav Král and I run the Crafting Plastics studio, and we started in 2016. Our main focus has been to develop, research, and explore new possibilities for materials that are better and healthier. From the beginning, our main goal was to find better, healthier alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics. This has been the main driver of our practice, and we want to create durable and scalable products that last without compromising on the ecological aspects of these materials.

When we started, we wanted to explore as creative people and were fascinated by the materiality and potential of new biopolymers. As we researched more deeply, we realized that making progress requires a collaborative practice. Our studio is quite interdisciplinary, combining material science research and design. I think our latest work is about creating materials that aren’t just static but are dynamic and responsive to the environment and the user. That connection between our two brands and companies is one reason they chose us for this year’s installation.

the sculpture is a full-scale model of the LF-ZC model, 3D printed from bioplastic called Nuatan

DB: Right, and we see that you’ve 3D printed the bioplastic Nuatan, which is a bio-based and biodegradable material based on 100 percent renewable resources, for the car sculpture with Lexus. Is this material new, or something that you’ve already developed before and then decided to use for the collaboration?

VK: So, what is it basically? We were trying to develop materials not based on oil and fossil fuel resources but completely natural. The material is 100% bio-based, biodegradable, and industrially compostable. We tune the material properties of these biopolymers so we can use them for different technologies currently being used. In the near future, or already now, companies can start to implement them on a larger scale, and one of the technologies we use is 3D printing. Back then when we started, most bioplastic materials were supposed to be used only in one-off products. The difference in our work from the beginning was finding solutions for something durable.

Imagine using these bioplastics for products like furniture or consumer goods that should last 15, 20, even 50 years. Once you don’t need them anymore, you can put them in industrial compost, and they decompose there. Then, what is the base for this material? It’s based on sugars and starches. The raw resource can vary, but we use mostly sugarcane. We create different types of composites using agricultural byproducts and fibers like bamboo for specific materials that should be more flexible. And the installation? The main sculpture is completely 3D-printed. We wanted to showcase that it’s not just about scalability to produce in masses but also that these materials could be suitable for real-scale products. For us, it was very exciting to implement our materials on such a scale, like in the car sculpture.

this material is bio-based, biodegradable, and based on 100 percent renewable resources

DB: So, does this mean that the installation translates the Lexus car model into its conceptual form?

VK: We were working around the actual LF-ZC model and translated it into a different, more sculptural and artistic way. We created the car sculpture from several fragments that are not just there, staying, but also breathing. The whole sculpture expands and contracts based on various stimuli, and the car reacts to the proximity of the visitor and invites visitors to come closer by opening itself. There are also other sculptures.

One is a representation of a steering wheel. The steering wheel communicates with the car. By touching it, you can influence how the breathing works. This responsiveness and adaptability are goals of the LF-ZC car. We wanted to show that through the materialities, you can bring the responsive feeling and experience. It’s not just about responses to the visitors or users, but also the car reacting to the environment. It changes color with UV radiation. You can see throughout the day how strong the UV rays are, and the colors change, becoming more intense.

interview-lexus-crafting-plastics-bioplastic-3D-printed-car-miami-art-design-week-2024-designboom-ban

a UV-responsive material coating makes the skin reactive

DB: And this interactive technology that makes the color of the 3D printed car change, is this something you’ve developed within the studio, or during the collaboration?

VK: A few years ago, we started to explore responsive, ecologically responsive biomaterials. That’s something we’ve been working on for the past three or four years. Now, we are also adding more software-based interactions to it.

DB: And if we understood correctly, the 3D printed car from bioplastic is one main sculpture. Then, you also have three satellites on display. Do these somehow communicate or connect with each other?

VK: Each of these sculptures has its own special feature. It’s really about the multisensory experience. In our previous work, we worked a lot with sense and smell, and scent is also very present in various concept experiences that Lexus offers. We created two sculptures: one represents a steering wheel, and the other translates how we imagine the headrest of car seats in this actual model.

The settings we created from the backrest of the car seat offer an olfactory experience. Once you come closer, you can also sit on them. The special fragrance developed for Lexus becomes more present, and you can also visually see it. The smell comes from the seatings, but you can also sit on them, jump on them, or dance on them—this is the only sculpture where you’re supposed to do it. On the steering wheel and the other sculpture, you have to behave very gently. Maybe we should put up a sign (laughs).

the second sculpture set is a reimagination of the LF-ZC’s headrest

VK (continued): Within the steering wheel, we created a flower-like sculpture. There are three abstracted steering wheels inviting visitors to explore the surfaces. You can see they are structurally different and all react to proximity and touch. On one of them, we used bamboo-based leather that we created and applied. You can feel various types of structures and patterns under your hands. This is also one of the senses that hasn’t been much explored, so we wanted to make it very present within the installation.

The last satellite showcases the Lexus logo, which appears under UV rays. This sculpture is very different from the others. It’s light and rotates when the wind comes. It’s made of very thin bioplastic lattices built into an abstract form. It showcases the lightness and perishability of these materials that can be used as sculpture. They almost disappear when seen through the greenery backgrounds. This play between the solid and the very light, something that reacts to the environment and the users, showcases the in-between, and so the Liminal Cycles as a context appears throughout the installation.

the lounge seating sprays a Lexus-inspired scent

DB: Do you think there is a chance in the future to see these materials applied on an industrial scale, like in cars, instead of using plastics or similar materials?

VK: Definitely. I think it’s already slowly starting to happen. There are multiple options already available, including our materials. But it still needs brands that want to pioneer and actually do it. It will definitely appear across different industries, but it needs both a bottom-up demand from users, which we can see from younger generations, and the will from brands to switch to renewable resources.

DB: But the materials themselves are scalable, right?

VK: Yes, I think nowadays with the Newton, we want to demonstrate that it’s happening, and we are already in various pilot projects where we are implementing them at scale.

there’s a flower-like sculpture references the shape of the LF-ZC’s steering wheel

DB: Can you tell us more about the capsule collection Crafting Plastics co-developed with Lexus for Liminal Cycles and Miami Art and Design Week 2024?

VK: So, we were asked, along with the four designers who were previously part of the Lexus in design project, to develop the collectible object or vessel connected with the scent. In our case, we wanted to create an object that connects something completely ephemeral and perishable with another material, which is glass that’s forever recyclable. We created this vessel that functions both as a diffuser and as a base. The 3D printed part also connects to the actual design of the car and sculpture. It has several designs.

viewers are encouraged to interact with its rugged, earthy texture

DB: That’s amazing! And what do you hope that visitors take away from seeing all this work together?

VK: I hope they will enjoy the interactiveness and experience how both the biomaterials and cars can be very responsive and adaptive in the future. Throughout all our installations, we are trying to trigger interest in exploring biomaterials and material options.

Nowadays, it’s important to not be afraid and showcase what is possible, even if it’s not there, creating conversations about it. One way to do this is through beauty. Beauty is an agency in addressing the critical issues we must tackle. As designers, we want to bring it closer to people. The more curiosity we create with our installation, the better. That’s what I hope people take from it.