Jefrë Figueras Manuel, or more often known simply as Jefrë, might not be someone who you are familiar with, but if you live in Lake Nona, you have without a doubt seen his work before. Jefrë is the mind behind some of the most eye-catching and iconic work across the Lake Nona area, including “The Beacon” and “The Code Wall.” Both of these pieces reside within the Lake Nona Town Center, and while these two pieces might be the closest to home, they are certainly just a fraction of the work Jefrë has created, is creating, and will be coming in the future.
A Filipino-American born and raised in Chicago, Jefrë started creating at a young age and took particular interest in design and architecture. He majored in sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago and then went on to pursue a degree from Ohio State University in urban design and landscape architecture before attending the Architecture Association in London to study Morpho-Ecologies. After working in the field of urban design and architecture for a firm in Chicago, he was persuaded to “turn in his bowtie for some flip-flops” and move to Florida to work on the now world-renowned resort Atlantis in the Bahamas. Jefrë moved to Lake Nona in 2004 and has been a resident since. In 2012, he was named as the “Emerging Artist of the Year,” with his thought-provoking works of art. He has won various sculpture competitions all over the world. “Understanding the people and culture of the city I’m working in, as a ‘public’ artist, my work is about ‘the you,’ not me,” said Jefrë on his source of inspiration.
As the Tavistock Development Company (TDC) had progressed in their plans for an innovative and artistic Lake Nona Town Center, Jefrë took interest in curating a centerpiece that would serve as one of the major creative elements of TDC’s vision. He began developing a plan to create a unique set-up for a design for a garage and what would later become “The Beacon.” “I was interested in creating these sculptural white gems with a common facade treatment with an iconic element that become wayfinding elements to the Town Center. That then allows for other architectural facades to be anything they want to be with the white boxes serving as a constant. Each garage is inspired by the current and future industries of medical, health, science and finance but also recalls the history of the site. The facades are waterjet cutout panels with inspirational goals, inspirations, and words translated in binary code,” said Jefrë. Each of the garages at the Town Center will have unique corner signature elements such as “The Beacon” on the existing garage that is in a form of a stethoscope.
For “The Beacon,” Jefrë said he also found inspiration in the original stethoscope invented in 1816 by the French physician Rene Laennec. The particular piece also hit close to home for Jefrë, who suffered a heart attack at the age of 35, and the impact that medical technology has had on his livelihood after having triple bypass surgery.
Outside of the United States, Jefrë has other extraordinary works on display, including pieces in Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Antonio, London and Abu Dhabi. He was one of the creative concept artist for the new Miss World America and Miss Teen World America crowns in 2017 and he’s worked on projects for clients, was contracted in partnerships, and gave service to names such as Santiago Calatrava, BIG Architects, Zaha Hadid, and Philippe Starck.
Jefrë was also commissioned by The Net Group, the largest green office developer in the Philippines, to create the BGC’s (Bonifacio Global City) most iconic sculpture called “Selfie,” and became one of the first artists commissioned for permanent art sculptures at SM Aura (Sculpture Contour Series) and at SM Ecom 5 (Talking Heads). He credits “almost 90%” of his work as being international and he’s been featured in various worldwide media outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, Cosmopolitan and L’Officiel. Jefrë has won numerous awards and was nominated by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Award in the category of “Design Mind” and was just recently featured at Beijing Design Week.
Along with developing his studio work for art museums and galleries, Jefrë has a variety of other projects on the horizon, including a series of zodiac sculptures, a sculpture to honor the working class, and a sculpture to serve as a gateway to different cities across the world. He is also currently in the process of creating a 30-story sculpture in the Philippines that he hopes will serve as the nation’s “international icon.” He dreams of one day creating a world-known city landmark like the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, or Cloudgate, though “The Beacon” and the “Code Wall” are truly already signature landmarks here in Lake Nona.
As Lake Nona continues to grow, be sure to continue to look out for Jefrë’s work popping up in the area. To see more of Jefrë’s iconic work, check out his Instagram @JEFRE_Artist.
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