Press Release
Life Science Code Monument by Takumi Takahashi Wins the Platinum A' Design Award in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
Takumi Takahashi honored for fine arts and art installation design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Life Science Code Monument by Takumi Takahashi, designed for Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., has been granted the Platinum A' Design Award in the Fine Arts and Art Installation Design category. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Platinum A' Design Award Explained
The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.
More About Life Science Code Monument
This monument expresses the memory of Life Science based on the genome sequence of DNA, the foundation of Life Science. Genome is the memory of life from its origins to the present, and the monument incorporates natural objects that have nurtured people, and craftsmanship passed down through the ages in Japan, as traces of life. Touching upon the origins that people have accumulated, the monument embodies the mysteries of life science revealed through human memories.
About Takumi Takahashi
Born in Tokyo in 1986. Graduated from Musashino Art University, Department of Crafts and Industrial Design. After joining HAKUTEN, he has been involved in space design focusing on experiences. He pursues deeper experiences by unraveling spatial design from context. As an artist, he has been expanding his activities by presenting installations using light. In recent years, he has been involved in many aspects of tangibles design in the field of sustainability.
Award Record
This recognition makes Takumi Takahashi a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award
The A' Fine-Art Design Award is an international fine-art design competition recognizing best fine-art works by leading fine-art artists and creators worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to artists, painters, sculptors and ceramicists from all countries. Entries typically include sculptures, paintings, installations, photographs, drawings and mixed media works. Awarded art designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/fine-art
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission 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. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated 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. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates 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, the upload of a work and the 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. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/165542
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/165542
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!165542
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/333929
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
- Life Science Code Monument
- Function
- Monument
- Category
- Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Arts
- Colors
- Black, Dark Gray, Silver, Gray and Light Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Takumi Takahashi
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Platinum A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #165542
Credits
- Team
- Design：Takumi Takahashi, HAKUTEN, Naoki Iwama, Iwama Design, Kenichi Ochiai, Ochiai Seisakusho, Chikako Kadoi, Bears Dance in the Hida Forest, Kumazaki Kohei, HAKUTEN and Masako Takahama, HAKUTEN
- Image Credits
- Photo by :Nacasa ＆ Partners Inc. | Akira Arai
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Chugai Pharmaceutical's Life Science Park commissioned a monument to convey the mysteries and unknown possibilities of life science. As life science now drives drug creation by unlocking genomic information from human DNA, the monument compiles diverse memories etched in our DNA. This includes natural materials evoking Life and materials created by human hands, representing Science, aiming to embody the essence and potential of life science.
- Inspiration
- Chugai's Life Science Park commissioned a monument to convey life science's profound mysteries. The design, mirroring drug creation through genome analysis, uses human genome sequences. The resulting patterns evoke life's beauty and complexity, encoding evolution and human essence. Integrating time-nurtured memories, the monument embodies life's enigmatic mystery. It stands as a testament to the intricate and beautiful nature of life, revealed through the very code that defines us.
- Research
- We were deeply moved to realize that our own DNA contains the inherited memories of the earth. Therefore, we carefully investigated various memories up to now, and collected a wide variety of memories, including natural objects created over a long period of time, human culture and technology, and memories of Chugai's pharmaceuticals.
- Challenge
- This monument, while not directly generating profit, aims to inspire and provide spiritual support to life science researchers. It expresses the invisible mysteries of life science, a field filled with the unexplained, where researchers strive to improve human well-being. By touching the depths of people's hearts, this monument hopes to bring color and inspiration to their work, supporting their challenge against the mysterious world of life science.
- Realization and Technology
- This monument crystallizes memories from nature, technology, and culture, archiving them for future generations. It juxtaposes normally incompatible memories, creating a unique landscape and prompting reflection on sustainability. Wood scraps were recycled into furniture, and metal scraps were reused, embodying circularity.
- Operation and Interaction
- Researchers viewing this monument can draw inspiration from its unique landscape, filled with memories from nature, technology, and culture. Viewers' reflections become part of the monument, symbolizing the present moment alongside diverse memories. It aims to convey that genomes exist within us, hinting at unknown possibilities.
- Project Duration and Location
- This project was completed in May 2024 It is located at Chugai's new research facility in Totsuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Specifications
- This 6m x 1.5m x 2.2m monument embodies human and Earth memories. Its design, based on the human genome sequence, integrates diverse materials: ancient stones, local flora, native trees and medicinal herbs. A transparent stone base, evoking water as the source of life, is illuminated from within, highlighting the genome's varied expressions. The DNA derived design reveals life's mystery through shifting perspectives.
- Keywords
- monument, life science, design, Art, hakuten, memory, Life Science Code
