Nike Taiwan: The IAM1 Journey | Hypebeast

Known not only in their native Hong Kong, but throughout Asia as a powerhouse multi-facted brand, SILLY THING bring their unique vision to this star studded lineup at the IAM1 Exhibition. Their contribution includes a video piece for the show.

Interview with SILLY THING

How did this partnership between Nike Sportswear and SILLY THING occur?

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time SILLY THING and Nike have partnered. Last year upon Nike Sportswear Causeway Bay’s opening we were also involved creating a video installation over three monitors. Then with this event in Taipei, this asked if we’d like to participate once again and we were excited to work together.

What sort of work goes into creating a video like this?

We’re mainly comprised of a four person team which includes a director, producer, media designer and interface designer. Starting from the director, he handles the whole process and fine-tunes small elements. In turn, the producer executes everything and ensures the logistical side of things is in order. The media designer’s job is to create the right aesthetic while finally the interface designer ties everything together.

What were the inspirations behind your video?

The Parisian Pompidou Center for culture and arts served as our inspiration. We definitely didn’t want our creation to be too conventional and wanted to really push the boundaries that was ultimately a fresh and original excecution. We wanted our video installation to be interactive, not simply something that remained stagnant and stationary.

Did you come across any particular difficulties?

The whole project was extremely tough and taxing. From the get go, we had less than one month to prepare everything from start to finish. The majority of the work was done in the stadium and as we made the move over to Taiwan, we were afforded only 3-4 days to really put everything together and ensure they were all up to spec.

How exactly does the video installation work?

Essentially there are two sensors on the side. From there whenever a human body part comes into contact with the sensors, a particular music and graphic will play-out.

What are your impressions of the TPE 6453 space?

I think it’s a great initiative on Nike’s part. Few brands really focus on the artistic side of things and work towards creating this large scale exhibitions. As a space purely for exhibiting products rather than being for sale, there’s a certain artistic element that is enhanced and a great place overall for collaboration.

How is Taiwan and Hong Kong creative/design scene different?

In general I would say that the Taiwanese creative community are more into the conceptual and underlying meaning of the whole project. On the other hand, the Hong Kong demographic wishes a more direct and instantaneous impact with their work. The overall appearance and outlook of Hong Kong-based creations are more important than the conceptual aspect of the piece.

Do you guys collect sneakers?

We’re big fans of what Nike and Jordan Brand have done. Some of our favorites include the Air Max series, some of the best running designs around, Nike’s vintage running collection and the Air Jordan XI.