Turns out Mr. Jeff Winterberg, despite the "murky details," was right about the Nissan Cubes at Pratt. Nissan is having design students hack on the interiors and then present the results at the NY Auto Show in April. But, what he had no way of knowing about was that the Brooks Institute film school in Santa Barbara, CA also has two of the rolling boxes. Why? To "intemperate and communicate the essence of the vehicle," of course. When we were in school we were only asked to intemperate and communicate the essence of Jungian archetypes vis-a-vis Freud's analytical methods while fighting hangovers. Sigh... Full press release from Nissan after the jump.
NISSAN CUBE COLLABORATION INVITES FILM AND DESIGN STUDENTS TO THINK "OUTSIDE OF THE CUBE" Las Vegas, NV — October 30, 2007 — Nissan North America (NNA) today announced a unique partnership with two film and design schools to showcase the Nissan Cube, a product sold in Japan, in the American market in a very distinctive way. The collaboration will task students to create provocative films and designs by integrating the Cube's inspirational and stylish design. The Brooks Institute film school in Santa Barbara, CA and Pratt Institute, School of Art and Design in New York City will participate in the Cube project, Cube-ism: Automobile Meets Art.
"When first launched in Japan, the Nissan Cube was the 'must-have' car for the uber-fashionable and trendy consumers," says Bruce Campbell, vice president, Design, Nissan Design America. "It quickly skyrocketed to become an icon in Japan, and - as Nissan continues to think big about small products - this project helps us understand how we can translate that success to other markets like North America."
Each school will receive two Nissan Cubes and participants from each school will be asked to interpret and communicate the essence of the vehicle. Both the Film and Design students will be asked to present concept direction presentations at the outset of the project for Nissan review and will meet with Nissan for periodic updates. The film students will be tasked with creating a short film, between 5-10 minutes long, that highlights the essence of the Nissan Cube. The design students are challenged with enhancing the Cube through changes in exterior colors, graphics, seat materials and wheel treatments. Projects will also include an eco-friendly element. Final works will be featured at the 2008 New York International Auto Show in April.