Sneakers and Interactive Media Culture

Check out Sneaker Nation. I found this site on Freshnessmag.com.

SHOWstudio present an exclusive behind the scenes film of Harri Peccinotti at work photographing the extraordinary exhibits in ‘White Dunk: Evolution of an Icon’, a Palais de Tokyo hosted exhibition of specially commissioned work by 25 Japanese artists, launched during this year’s Paris Fashion Week. The artists include animators, illustrators, toy-makers, graphic designers, model-makers, and comic writers. Each were given the brief to respond to a fashion classic, the Nike ‘Dunk’ basketball trainer (in white). In American basketball towards the end of the 1970s a technique had emerged on the court popularly known as a ’slam dunk’ - a spectacle of athleticism and showmanship. Trainer manufacturers and megabrand Nike began designing sports shoes they hoped would become synonymous with this phenomenon. Inspired by their already successful ‘Air Jordan’ and ‘Air Force’, Nike debuted the ‘Dunk’ in 1985. The Palais de Tokyo exhibition caught the imagination of fashion editor Susy Menkes who noted in her show report: ‘Of all the many shoe presentations, nothing could quite beat Nike’s exhibition of art installations by 25 Japanese creative talents challenged to use the iconic all-white Dunk sneaker as inspiration… that was proof that sneakers are now part of fashion’s religion.’ (IHT, 11/10/03). In this film and image project Peccinotti sets about shooting these artworks on dark backgrounds (in opposition to the white of the gallery walls) to bring a new contrast and animation to the myriad interpretations.

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