Nike & The Art + Science of Natural Motion

 

Helping to celebrate the recent Free and Flyknit footwear innovations, Nike has teamed up with digital artists Universal Everything, Daniel Widrig and Quayola+Sinigaglia to create The Art + Science of Natural Motion, an exhibition based around the principles of ‘fit’ and ‘flex’…

Originally hosted during Milan Design Week by Nike Stadium Milano, the exhibition sees the three artists interpret themes including the body in motion, technology, design, art and sport. Universal Everything’s The Art and Science of Fit explores movement with a 3D interactive experience that allows the viewer to manipulate strands of colour with the sweep of an arm. Flowing multicoloured woven patterns move freely on the large screens of a digitized cube structure, intelligently fitting to the silhouette of the visitor .

 

The Art and Science of Flex, by Daniel Widrig, aims to capture the essence of motion by transforming a digital artwork into the reality of a material sculpture. The artist uses animation software to create multiple snapshots of an abstract geometric figure moving in a 3D space. This snapshot is then materialised into a four meter long intricate sculpture that interprets movement and flexibility in very unexpected ways.

To complement Widrig’s work, long-time collaborators Davide Quayola and Natan Sinigaglia have created Flexure, an abstract, time-based digital sculpture that is an ever-evolving transformation of a rectangular monolith. Focusing on the physical properties of elasticity and flexibility, Flexure is a dynamic audio-visual display of movement using digital canvas.

The Art + Science of Super Natural Motion is an evolving exhibition that will travel to Tokyo, New York and London until October 2013

 

             

        

Matt Stevens & Nike

 

 Following on from his MAX100 project, illustrator Matt Stevens was recently commissioned by Nike to expand upon his tribute to the Air Max 1, in a project aptly titled #AIRMAX...

Alongside Steven's personal interpretations, the underlying themes for many of the illustrations are design inspiration, colour, cultural significance and reinvention. The more obvious references to these themes include the Air Max 1's visible air unit which was inspired by The Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Air Max 90's infrared (originally labelled radiant red) colour, the Air Max 95's anatomical references and the Air Max 97's resemblence to the Japanese 'bullet' train.

Nike Graphic Studio Art Show

Hosted in the company's heartland of Portland, Oregon, last month saw the third iteration of the Nike Graphic Studio Art Show, an exhibition showcasing the work of 50 Nike creatives...
The Nike Graphic Studio is a creative department within Nike, working across all areas of the brand with a focus on T-shirt graphics and headwear. The studio is made up of almost 50 designers, each with their own unique style of creativity. The theme of this year's Graphic Studio Art Show was 'Outside the Box', and event organisers Chris Degaetano and Eugene Serebrennikov wanted to challenge the creatives involved to create some truly unique artworks. The resulting show, held at Gallery135, featured a variety of mixed-media pieces ranging from textural paintings, large-scale 3D installations and customised boomboxes - all of which (of course) contained sneaker related references.
In addition to the creativity on show, each event is also focused on raising money for good causes, with Nike partnering a selected charity each year. Previous shows have seen proceeds going towards relief for the Japanese Tsunami and the Self Enhancement Inc. This year it was the turn of global charity The Girl Effect, a movement aiming to unlock the unique potential of adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world. Vinyl figures inspired by The Girl Effect (as well as a 'sneakerhead' character) were also created especially for the exhibition and then later customised by some of the artists involved.