Japan Car in London
London's Science Museum, Design Platform Japan and a host of others are presenting a rather different take on the cultural aspects of state-of-the-art automobiles, including kei cars, in a clever exhibition that started on November 29, 2008.
Japan Car - Designs for the Crowded Globe is an exploration of the car as a "mobile cell" - conceived by two world class designers: Kenya Hara, the man responsible for much of the success of Muji, the Nagano Olympics opening ceremony, and Shigeru Ban, the architect currently designing a new satellite gallery for Paris’ Pompidou Centre, who did the recycled cardboard paper tubes used to quickly and efficiently house disaster victims, having helped earthquake victims in Kobe in 1995...
This is all very timely. The car industry is going through a major shift. Volvo and Saab may have to be nationalized, and who knows if the big three automakers in the Unites States will surivive.
Ouch.
Reuters has also covered the way the US car makers begged for tax payer dollars:
…Automakers pledged during their testimony to spend bailout money on operations and invest in new fuel efficiency technology - like better-performing gasoline engines, hybrids, and new electric cars.
What went wrong? At the Science Museum in London, you can explore:
* Size - small yet sophisticated vehicles and special kei cars, which are both compact and technologically advanced
* Environment – climate-conscious hybrids intended to reduce carbon and other emissions
* Moving urban cells – the future of transport as integrated systems rather than individual vehicles
Alongside Japanese bonsai, art and design, Japan Car is displaying 14 unusual cars from the past decade and conceptual models, including the Nissan PIVO2 and Toyota i-REAL.
Treehugger:
"I Have Seen Things" - Japan Car At London's Science Museum
(From Blade Runner, music by Vangelis)
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