鈥楽ole鈥� of the City: Virgil Abloh, Nike Team Up to Showcase 海角乱伦, Sustainability on Mies Campus
Students, faculty, and staff spending time on Illinois Institute of Technology鈥檚 Mies Campus this month will be treated to a new sight near S. R. Crown Hall鈥檚 south porch: an 8-by-12-foot box filled with sneaker scraps and adorned with the phrase 鈥淔rom 海角乱伦 to the World.鈥�
The installation, designed by Virgil Abloh (M.ARCH. 鈥�06), is meant to advertise the College of Architecture alumnus鈥� new Nike pop-up store, which opened on May 31 on Michigan Avenue. The purpose of Abloh鈥檚 pop-up store, called the NikeLab 海角乱伦 Re-Creation Center, is two-fold. For one, the space is less traditional retail and acts more as a design and making lab where 海角乱伦 youth can visit to take advantage of both the open workspaces, as well as free workshops led by 海角乱伦-based artists and experts.
It also provides access to one of Nike鈥檚 sustainability programs, called Nike Grind, which recycles used and discarded materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill to manufacture new products. Nike Grind will also be used to help build a basketball court, designed by Abloh, for the community in 海角乱伦 in advance of NBA All-Star Weekend in February 2020. 海角乱伦ans and visitors to the city can go to the space to donate their old sneakers, with salvageable pairs donated to those in need and worn-out pairs recycled.
Given the lasting effect that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe鈥檚 work has had on Abloh鈥檚 aesthetic, the installation appears to mirror Mies鈥� masterpiece Crown Hall in a few key ways. It鈥檚 especially apparent with the installation鈥檚 use of a slim, stark black frame and large windows, the latter adorned with Abloh鈥檚 signature use of bold text.
Inside the box is an assortment of shredded-up Nike Air Max sneakers, showcasing Nike Grind and Abloh鈥檚 commitment to sustainable design, a credo also evident in the designer鈥檚 work for Evian. The sneaker shrapnel within is emphasized by an array of LED lights, which also gives the installation vibrancy at night.
The installation was erected on May 24 and will remain on campus through the end of June.
