Tom Sachs and NikeCraft Transform the Shoelace Bead Into Sculptural Art

Summary

• Continuing the educational mission of the I.S.R.U. app, NikeCraft and contemporary artist Tom Sachs have released a handmade, sculptural shoelace bead

• Crafted from durable porcelain and bearing the artist’s fingerprints, the bead represents the concept of bricolage and marks the first time a handmade Sachs piece has been integrated into a NikeCraft sneaker

• Serving as the first in a planned series of ceramic accessories, the I.S.R.U. Red Bead is officially available for $19.99 USD via NikeCraft

Contemporary artist Tom Sachs is bringing his distinct studio practice directly to your footwear. Expanding on the educational, rules-based conceptual art curriculum of the NikeCraft I.S.R.U. app, Sachs has officially launched the NikeCraft I.S.R.U. Red Bead. Blurring the line between a simple shoelace accessory and fine art sculpture, this handmade piece serves as a physical representation of bricolage—the practice of constructing or repairing something using whatever limited resources are at hand.

“A bead is a symbol of bricolage. A bead is a sculpture,” Sachs explained, noting his long history with the medium. While ceramic beads have appeared throughout Sachs’s vast body of work—from pull chains on the 2023 Mayonnaise Lamp to zipper pulls and AirPod trackers—this release marks a significant milestone. It is the very first time a handmade item from the artist’s New York City studio has become part of a NikeCraft sneaker, specifically accompanying the launch of the GPS Bricolage.

Each red, cylindrical bead is meticulously crafted from high-fire English porcelain and mason-stained with cadmium red. Sachs intentionally chose porcelain for the same reason he utilizes it in his world-renowned tea bowls: it is one of the most durable ceramics available, and its fine grain perfectly captures the imprint of the artist’s fingerprints. Weighing 5 grams and measuring 1 inch tall by 0.5 inches in diameter, no two beads are exactly alike, taking on unique shapes and forms based on usage.

“The beads follow the same rules as the rest of my work,” Sachs stated regarding the overarching design philosophy. “A sculpture can be an inch high, like a bead, or it can fill an entire exhibition space, like Space Program or Nutsy’s. But for it to matter, you need to see evidence that the artist was there.”

As the I.S.R.U. community continues to grow and learn the tenets of conceptual art, this drop offers fans a tangible piece of the curriculum. The Red Bead serves as the inaugural launch in a planned series of NikeCraft ceramic accessories crafted by Sachs, leaving the door open for endless customization. As the artist himself put it: “Now I’m really interested to see how people will use beads in their own way.” The I.S.R.U. Red Bead is now available exclusively through the NikeCraft webstore.