Back in June, we revealed our collaborative project with Reebok. Together we tapped into the worlds of design, architecture and film, handpicking five of Europe's leading creatives and inviting them to take their cue from Reebok's design DNA to create one-off artworks inspired by the brand's ZigTech, Men's Toning and RealFlex technologies.
Previously only presented as concepts, these high-flying artworks were finally showcased in the flesh, for one night only (28 July), at The Great Room - interior design company 1508 London's new gallery space. In the presence of some of the collaboration's designers - Richard Pearce and Alex Griffin of Partizan Darkroom, Fabio Novembre and A-Cero architects Rafael Llamazares and Joaquin Torres - guests, including David Gandy and Dinos Chapman flocked in, with the evening further enhanced by the backdrop of a balmy London summer's evening and beer courtesy of Peroni.
Throughout the space, the functionality and pioneering looks of the new Reebok designs were transposed in an array of ways. Spanish architects A-Cero displayed their EasyTone-inspired sculptural display, while further afield designer Fabio Novembre's life-sized black horse sculpture was a delightfully stark contrast to its angular corner wall setting. To its right, the wall-mounted rubberized artwork from French artist Ora Ito was presented with the RealFlex shoe and created a dramatic wall-mounted installation made from Hi-Macs.
Meanwhile appearing in digital representation, a projection of Christoph Behling's futuristic running experience, defined by a floating 300m running track, played on loop. And hard to be missed, the larger than life skyward installation from London-based Alex Griffin and Richard Pearce of film production house Partizan Darkroom, who wowed the crowd with an interactive installation that responded to guests’s movements as they walked within the space.
‘The sole is the most beautiful part of the shoe,’ says Ito of his decision to single out this component for his artwork, ’it’s like a landscape’
The 2 m-high glossy stallion was inspired by the ZigTech trainer
Homing in on long-time association between movement and the horse, Novembre wanted to combine the ideas of energy, agility, speed and power with the flowing lines of the ZigTech
Partizan created a visual concept based on the energy transfer technology of the ZigTech shoe. The interactive installation reacts to the movement of people within the space – giving motion to the reeds
Reecharge concept comes from the piezoelectric technique, which results in electricity being produced due to the mechanical energy created when the runner wears the Reebok ZigTech
Architects took Reebok’s Easytone shoe as the focus of their piece (seen here in the foreground). Trying to capture the flexibility of the shoe into a solid shape, the architects played with the idea of contour lines and traditional architectural models
On display were a selection of Reebok running shoes – dating from the very first model produced in 1895, to the Reebok Classic and the new ZigTech
A-Cero architects Rafael Llamazares and Joaquin Torres
Model David Gandy
Artist Dinos Chapman
Musician Mr Hudson
Musician Jade Williams aka Sunday Girl
Richard Pearce and Alex Griffin of Partizan Darkroom
Recording artist and fashion designer Lily Allen
Wallpaper* editor-in-chief Tony Chambers and designer Fabio Novembre
Gary Kemp and Simon Mills
Model Kelly Brook and presenter Jameela Jamil
Model Amy Bailey
Actor Nicholas Hoult
Actress Gemma Chan
Presenter Zara Martin and television director Wayne Yit
Actor Matt Horne
Kelly Brook and Lily Allen
Actress Tullulah Harlech
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