MSCHF twists Lexus electric cars into absurd shapes in New York

Brooklyn creative studio MSCHF has created two twisted and bent versions of Lexus electric cars for New York City's fall art week, which the studio said is a play on the automotive industry's concept car prototypes. The Motomorphosis sculptures, called Circle Car and Twisted Car, were installed at Hudson Yards event space Chelsea Industrial next to their functional counterparts, a Lexus RZ450e and Lexus RX450h+. MSCHF has created two sculptures that look like morphed Lexus EVs for New York Armory Week Circle Car is an elongated Lexus RZ450e turned around on itself, while Twisted Car looks like a Lexus RX450h+ that has been twisted and wrung out like a giant mechanical towel. The team said Motomorphosis plays on the idea of a concept car, a prototype vehicle presented by car companies to showcase innovations in technology and style as an indicator of the company's direction. The sculptures resemble two electric Lexus vehicles "We had this idea of inverting the idea of a concept car and taking a purely formalist approach to the object," MSCHF chief creative officer Kevin Wiesner told Dezeen. The forms were based around the impossible 3D formulations in digital design software. "In this case, operations like twisting, stretching, and bending are part of a standard 3D program language that results in impossible objects; native digitally, but absurd physically," said Wiesner. "Circle Car also taps into a specifically implied absurdity of movement; no matter how much it drives, it remains in one place chasing its own tail," he continued. "Twist Car is one of those shapes that is taken directly from 3D software operations, though this degree of twist usually shows up as a visually compelling mistake." The sculptures are made from a steel armature, with "thousands of individual pieces joined together like LEGOs to form the skin". While they incorporate some Lexus car parts, they are non-functioning and do not turn on, according to the studio. The installation plays on the 'concept car' format Previously, MSCHF created furniture from Mercedes-AMG vehicle parts and cut a Gufram Pratone chair into little bits. The photography is courtesy of MSCHF. Motomorphosis is on display at Chelsea Industrial from 25 to 26 September. See Dezeen Events Guide for more design events, exhibitions and installations around the world. Subscribe to our newsletters Your email address New! Dezeen Agenda US Sent on alternate Fridays, this US edition of Dezeen Agenda is a fortnightly newsletter rounding up everything you need to know from America, featuring news, projects and interviews with industry figures. Plus occasional updates and invitations to Dezeen events. New! Dezeen Showroom New Releases A quarterly newsletter rounding up a selection of recently launched products by designers and studios, published on Dezeen Showroom. Dezeen Debate Our most popular newsletter, formerly known as Dezeen Weekly, is sent every Tuesday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Plus occasional updates on Dezeen’s services and breaking news. Dezeen Agenda Sent every Thursday and containing a selection of the most important news highlights. Plus occasional updates on Dezeen’s services and invitations to Dezeen events. Dezeen Daily A daily newsletter containing the latest stories from Dezeen. Dezeen In Depth Sent on the last Friday of every month, Dezeen in Depth features original feature articles, interviews and opinion pieces that delve deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. Dezeen Jobs Daily updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs. Plus occasional news. Dezeen Jobs Weekly Weekly updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs. Plus occasional news. Dezeen Awards News about our Dezeen Awards programme, including entry deadlines and announcements. Plus occasional updates. Dezeen Events Guide News from Dezeen Events Guide, a listings guide covering the leading design-related events taking place around the world. Plus occasional updates and invitations to Dezeen events. Dezeen Awards China News about our Dezeen Awards China programme, including entry deadlines and announcements. Plus occasional updates. We will only use your email address to send you the newsletters you have requested. We will never give your details to anyone else without your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email, or by emailing us at [email protected]. For more details, please see our privacy notice. Thank you! You will shortly receive a welcome email so please check your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of every newsletter.