SuKang You Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Plastic Heart LED Media Art in Virtual and Digital Art Installations Design

The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes SuKang You for virtual and digital art installations design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Plastic Heart LED Media Art by SuKang You, designed for SuKang You (Hongik University), has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Virtual and Digital Art Installations Design category. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Bronze A' Design Award Explained

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

More About Plastic Heart LED Media Art

Plastic Heart is a public LED media art installation that visualizes the environmental crisis caused by plastic waste. The artwork takes the form of a heart built from colorful plastic debris, pulsating in a steady rhythm like a living organ. Generative artificial intelligence and neural radiance field technology were used to create the three dimensional visuals, which were refined with digital compositing and motion post production. The video is prepared in fourteen screen formats for large public displays. The heart may belong to a human, an animal or the planet.

About SuKang You

SuKang You is a motion graphic designer and visual artist specializing in digital media and environmental storytelling. With a background in compositing and on-air promotion (OAP), You explores the intersection of emerging technologies, such as AI and NeRF, to expand the boundaries of visual communication. As a graduate student at Hongik University, You has participated in collaborative exhibitions and received international recognition for digital media projects. Through research and creative practice, You focuses on integrating technology and design to address contemporary issues, particularly in sustainability and digital art innovation.

Award Record

This recognition makes SuKang You a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Virtual and Digital Art Installations Design Award

The A' Digital Installations Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good digital installations designs by leading designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to digital installation designers, virtual reality artists, interactive media designers and multimedia artists from all countries. Typical entries include digital art installations, interactive projections, virtual reality exhibits, augmented reality installations, digital sculptures and immersive environments. The awarded virtual art installation designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/digital-installations

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/169578
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/169578
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!169578
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/365233

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Plastic Heart LED Media Art
Function: LED Media Art
Category: Virtual and Digital Art Installations Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Arts and Entertainment
Colors: Black, Midnight Blue, Dark Slate Blue and Dark Slate Gray
Images: 5
Client: SuKang You (Hongik University)

The Recognition

Laureate: SuKang You
Country: Republic of Korea
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2024 - 2025
Design ID: #169578

Credits

Image Credits: Image: Creator / Video Designer SuKang You (Graduate School of Visual Communication, Hongik University), Plastic Heart, 2024. Video Credits: Creator / Video Designer SuKang You (Graduate School of Visual Communication, Hongik University), Plastic Heart, 2024.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Plastic Heart is a Public LED Media Art installation that visualizes the environmental crisis caused by plastic waste. The artwork takes the form of a heart, constructed from colorful plastic debris, pulsating rhythmically like a living organ. Utilizing AI-generated imagery and NeRF technology, the piece transforms digital artwork into a striking 3D visualization. The LED display enhances its immersive quality, engaging the audience with a thought-provoking spectacle.
Inspiration: Plastic Heart was inspired by the impact of plastic pollution on ecosystems. The plastic we use daily threatens all living beings, from wildlife to marine life, and even the Earth itself. Yet, the vibrant plastic debris—reminiscent of Christmas ornaments—creates an ironic contrast, making waste visually striking. The heart is ambiguous—it could belong to a human, an animal, or the planet—urging audiences to reflect on sustainability and collective responsibility.
Research: Plastic Heart serves as a visual statement on the environmental crisis caused by plastic waste. By transforming discarded plastics into a pulsating heart, it highlights the consequences of excessive consumption. The vibrant yet critical imagery draws viewers in, prompting reflection on sustainability. This project contributes to raising public awareness of plastic pollution, encouraging individuals and industries to reconsider their reliance on disposable plastics and take action for a greener future.
Challenge: The biggest challenge was utilizing generative AI and NeRF tools to achieve precise artistic control. While generative AI provided visually compelling outputs, refining them to match the intended design required extensive adjustments. NeRF was used to generate multi-angle 3D objects, but optimizing them for animation and integration into the final composition was complex. Overcoming these challenges involved iterative refinement and a hybrid approach combining AI with traditional post-production tools.
Realization and Technology: Plastic Heart was created using generative AI to generate 3D visualizations, which were then refined through digital compositing. This public LED media installation is a video-based artwork designed for large-scale display. NeRF technology was used to generate multi-angle 3D objects based on the desired design, enhancing spatial realism. The final visuals were processed with post-production tools such as After Effects for a seamless and immersive motion effect.
Operation and Interaction: Plastic Heart is a video-based public LED media installation that serves as a visual warning about the environmental impact of reckless plastic consumption. The heart, made of vibrant plastic debris, symbolizes an unidentified life form, blurring the lines between human, animal, and planet. Ironically, the video starts with dazzling, festive visuals set to Christmas carols, drawing viewers in with beauty before revealing its underlying environmental message.
Project Duration and Location: Plastic Heart was produced from September to November 2024. The video was created for SMAF 2025 (Seoul Media Art Festival) and was first exhibited on December 25, 2024, at COEX Mall in Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. The anamorphic LED screen display measured 4224mm (W) × 1944mm (H) and was adapted for 14 different screen formats to ensure broad accessibility across various public display environments.
Specifications: Plastic Heart is a public LED media installation designed for public spaces. The project was exhibited at COEX Mall in Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea, displayed on a 4224mm (W) × 1944mm (H) anamorphic LED screen. It was adapted for 14 different screen formats, ensuring compatibility across diverse public display environments. The video was created with high-resolution techniques to maintain visual clarity on large-scale digital displays.
Keywords: Plastic Heart, Public LED Media Art, Environmental Awareness, Generative AI, NeRF Technology, Digital Art, Motion Graphics, Sustainable Design, Plastic Pollution, Visual Storytelling