Life Science Code Monument by Takumi Takahashi

Life Science Code Monument by Takumi Takahashi is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award in Platina in Beeldende Kunst en Kunstinstallatie Ontwerp Competition Category.

PlatinaBeeldende Kunst· 2025

Life Science Code Monument

by Takumi Takahashi

Client: Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

A' Design Award in Platina Winner in Beeldende Kunst Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #165542

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Life Science Code Monument

Dit monument verbeeldt het geheugen van de levenswetenschappen, gebaseerd op de genoomsequentie van DNA, de basis van de levenswetenschappen. Het genoom is het geheugen van het leven vanaf zijn oorsprong tot het heden, en het monument integreert natuurlijke objecten die mensen hebben gekoesterd, evenals vakmanschap dat door de eeuwen heen in Japan is doorgegeven, als sporen van het leven. Door in te gaan op de oorsprongen die mensen hebben verzameld, belichaamt het monument de mysteries van de levenswetenschappen zoals onthuld door menselijke herinneringen.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Platina

Life Science Code Monument is winnaar van de A' Design Award in Platina, een uiterst prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan werkelijk uitzonderlijke, elegante en magnifieke ontwerpen. De winnaars in Platina zijn wonderen van creatie, getuigenissen van de grenzen van intellectuele creativiteit en tonen het ongeëvenaarde professionalisme en genie van hun ontwerpers. Van deze ontwerpen wordt verwacht dat zij de meest vermaarde werken zijn die de esthetiek van een tijdperk bepalen, bijdragen aan het welzijn van de samenleving en de grenzen van kunst, wetenschap, ontwerp en technologie verleggen. Life Science Code Monument toont een transcendent niveau van uitmuntendheid en maakt de wereld ongetwijfeld een betere plek met zijn voordelige en waardevolle kenmerken. Life Science Code Monument is een werk dat de A' Design Award in Platina heeft gewonnen en dat verlangens oproept, inspireert, verrukt en grote vreugde doet ontvlammen.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

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.
Dimensions & Packaging: 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.
Tags: monument, life science, design, Art, hakuten, memory, Life Science Code
Production 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.
Design 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.
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.
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.
Project Duration: This project was completed in May 2024
It is located at Chugai's new research facility in Totsuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
Operation Flow: 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.
Team Members: Design：Takumi Takahashi, HAKUTEN
Structural design : Naoki Iwama, Iwama Design
Metal hardware design and production : Kenichi Ochiai, Ochiai Seisakusho
Creative direction for the forest : Chikako Kadoi, Bears Dance in the Hida Forest
Product Management : Kumazaki Kohei, HAKUTEN
Produce : Masako Takahama, HAKUTEN
Image Credits: Photo by :Nacasa ＆ Partners Inc. | Akira Arai