— By Andru Shively — 

These days, hardware has taken a back seat to software in the automotive sector. We find ourselves now in the era of the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV), when driver/passenger experience is becoming more interactive and customisable.

To showcase the adaptability and responsive technology inherent to SDVs, and to do so in sustainable style, Lexus – luxury subsidiary of Japanese carmaker Toyota – recently unveiled its Liminal Cycles installation at the Miami Art & Design Week in the US.

Modelled after the Lexus Future Zero-Emission Catalyst (LF-ZC) battery-electric vehicle concept, the installation is the result of a collaboration with Slovakian Crafting Plastics, a Bratislava-based design and research studio that develops scalable bioplastics for design solutions.

The fragmented parts for Liminal Cycles were 3D-printed by Crafting Plastics with their bioplastic Nuatan, which is derived from 100% biobased polymers and leaves no microplastics footprint, according to the studio.

Coated in a UV-responsive biobased material skin, the splintered sculpture reacts dynamically to environmental stimuli, such as UV radiation or changes in an onlooker’s proximity, by expanding and contracting as well as changing colour.

Complementing the main attraction are three satellite sculptures: a flower-like steering wheel that reacts to touch with volume and sound-intensity fluctuations, a headrest that releases a “Lexus-inspired” scent, and a wind-activated lattice-like piece that responds to UV-radiation shifts with a reveal of the car company’s logo.

The installation is on display in the sculpture garden of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami from 1 to 15 December – after which time we think a scaled-down version would look festive on or under our Christmas trees...