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

 

             

        

  Mimi Leung & adidas

Vice Australia recently asked graphic artist Mimi Leung to work alongside industrial designer Chris Ruffe on this bright and bold neon light window display for adidas Originals at the Platypus sneaker store in Melbourne…

When it came to creating the piece, Leung wanted to push the use of the neon lighting by using fluoro colours to make the display change dramatically at night. Ruffe came up with the idea of using 3D elements, and so the display was built up from three seperate layers; a printed backdrop featuring Leung’s main illustration, cut-out vinyl pieces for the various characters, and the neon lighting itself. The shoes were then placed to interact with the characters and to add to the flow and dynamism of overall the piece. 

As Leung explains; ‘The idea is that these crazy, mad beings and forms (like little ghosts) are bursting out from an abstract organic form and playing with the shoes at night, when no one's looking.’ A short video documenting the production process is also shown below
To see more of Leung's work, visit her freshly updated website here
 

Jiro Bevis

Jiro Bevis

Jiro's work (which can be defined by his use of vivid colours, bold lines, voyeuristic eyeballs, brick walls and pizza) is influenced by a number of elements including a love of his motherland, Japan, nature and counter culture from the 60s, 70s and 80s - which he was heavily exposed to as a child through his father’s comic collection and older brother’s records. Shown here are some of his sneaker-related artworks (for Nike) which include a psychedelic merging of weird and wonderful characters with classic sports footwear...

 

A Few of My Favourite Sneakers: Simon Peplow

 

You wait ages for the next in our ‘A Few of My Favourite Sneakers’ series, and then two come along at once. Following on from Matt Sewell’s recent contribution, this graphic sneaker collection (in four different colourways) was created by graphic artist Simon Peplow…
Self-professed ‘visual tinkerer’, Simon Peplow is an illustrator, designer and artist living and working in Birmingham, UK. His work has been exhibited internationally from London to Hong Kong and Portland, and his clients include the likes of The New York Times, Carhartt and Nike SB. He is also one of the founding members of artist group The Outcrowd Collective.
For the ‘A Few of My Favourite Sneakers’ project, Peplow opted to draw the shoes he wore while skateboarding in the early 90s - creating a collage of shoes rather than stand-alone images.

The sneakers featured include (clockwise from top left):
Converse Dr. J Pro Leather
Nike Tennis Classic
Airwalk 540
Vans Half Cab
adidas Gazelle
Puma Clyde
Vans Old Skool

A Few of My Favourite Sneakers: Matt Sewell

It's been a long time coming, but at last we can show you the next in our ongoing series of 'A Few of My Favourite Sneakers'. In an interesting twist on the project concept, artist Matt Sewell (well known for his illustrations of feathered wildlife) has chosen to draw a selection of his favourite sneakers alongside birds that the sneakers remind him of. As he explains, 'Some people see faces whilst other people see cocks or tits in everything. Me, I see birds, always have. In particular I see them in cars, buildings, people and trainers...'
Sewell is an avid ornithologist, a regular contributor to Caught By The River and author of the bestselling book Our Garden Birds. He has illustrated for The Guardian, V&A, Gravis (a project we featured in the Art & Sole book), Levi's, Helly Hansen, The Big Issue and has also painted underpasses for the RSPB, and exhibited in London, Manchester, Tokyo and Paris.
Usually we ask the artists who take part in the 'A Few of My Favourite Sneakers' project to draw 10 of their favourite shoes, but, as Matt was drawing both sneakers and birds, we've made an exception to the rule meaning that he has drawn his top five shoes (with five birds).
In order of appearance, the list of sneakers and birds illustrated (including the creatively-named Latin titles for both) includes:

Fila Hiker & Bullfinch
Casualia Ambulo & Pyrrhula Pyrrhula
'A girl in our year had been hanging out with bigger boys (and going to Rezerection and other raves that I wished I'd been to) and came to school in these. I thought I was cool in my Travel Fox's but these took the biscuit. Strong and bright, proper Bullfinch. I think I remember trying to talk my old man into buying me a pair but he wanted me to get a regular pair of hiking boots. Not quite the same effect really.'

Nike Air Safari & Zebra Finch
Victoria Aer Venator & Taeniopygia Guttata
'I've never had a pair of Safari's, but I have owned a Zebra Finch - loads in fact. My dad built this aviary/cage type thing in a covered over area outside of our house. They thrived for a while, had loads of lil' chicks and were the cutest of things until this sharp frost came from out of nowhere and froze them all to death. I was of course mortified and I must of repressed this horror deep down as I totally forgot that I had ever even seen a Zebra Finch, never mind owned one. Skip on twenty years, to me and my girlfriend walking around Uluru in the searing heat when suddenly I heard the very familiar tinkling/chiming sound of a flock of Zebra Finches having a great time. Everything came flooding back to me. I was gutted but it was amazing to see them in the bush, with that bell-like birdsong which helps Aborigines find water in the scorched desert. No wonder the poor buggers couldn't handle it in the frozen North-East.'

Nike Dunk SB 'Oompa Loompa' & Stonechat
Victoria Nullam Tabula Pumilio Magus & Saxicola Rubicola
'These SB's belonged to my mate Gaz in Brighton - he loved them but I was always a bit "meh". Brown and orange is always and good combo though and they do remind me of a Stonechat, so he can't be all wrong.'

 

Travel Fox & Goldfinch
Peregrinationes Vulpes & Carduelis Carduelis
'I had coveted these for ages until I managed to get a pair myself. I have no idea how I managed to talk my folks into forking out for these. Although now it becomes clearer, as I distinctly remember getting them from a 'budget' shoe shop in Bishop Auckland, rather than a fancy boutique. It doesn't really matter if they were knock-off or not, as I was only interested in the colours and the massive rubbery Travel Fox logo emblazoned across the sole. Ironically, I think these met their end in a bonfire misadventure where I managed to melt a nail right through one.'

 

Nike Meika & Blue Tit
Victoria Puteulanus Aureus Specialis & Parus Caeruleus
'God knows where I first saw these delectable rare runners. It doesn't even matter that they are the mirror image of one of my favourite birds, I just want them on my feet.'

Thanks to Matt Sewell for such an inventive take on the 'A Few of My Favourite Sneakers' concept. For those interested, Matt has also created a special group print (shown bottom) which features all of the sneakers and birds shown here. Entitled 'A Few of My Feathered Sneakers', the 297 x 420mm (A3) artwork is giclée printed onto 308gsm Hahnemuhle paper and is A&S stamped for authenticity. To see more, or to purchase a print, click here

Keep watching Art & Sole for the next installation of A 'Few of My Favourite Sneakers'...

 

 

Cyril Le Van

Le Van is a French artist who composes plastic artworks using photography to reproduce life-size and three-dimensional objects. His work focuses mainly on symbols of cultural identity, blurring the lines between art and popular culture by using brands and products to comment on the social impacts of globalisation and consumerism.
To create the artworks, Le Van photographs the subject matter from all angles, then attaches the prints to a rigid support and roughly stitches or staples the images together to create the final piece. The resulting objects are a kind of fake version of the originals, but it's this fakeness that make the artworks so interesting.