Material and Meaning - Air Jordan XI x Artists Canvas

I made an Air Jordan XI shoe out of blank artists/painters canvas to demonstrate the use of material to alter its meaning.

The Air Jordan XI is made of black leather, lightweight nylon, and features a shiny black patent leather trim surrounding the lower portion of the shoe. In addition, the shoe has a white and clear rubber sole and a dark blue Air Jordan logo stitched into the top of the ankle collar. The shoe is a men’s size 8 which is approximately 11 inches long, 5 inches high, and 4 inches wide.

Although the Air Jordan XI functions as a basketball shoe, sneaker enthusiasts, or “sneaker-heads”, value the shoe as a status symbol, object of desire, some could compare it to a trophy of some sort. In the eyes of a sneaker-head, each shoe comes with a story. Anything from how long they waited in line to purchase the shoe, how they were able to find the shoe, or even how they used to have the particular shoe before it released as a retro (re-releasing the shoe many years after its original release). The emotional attachment to the shoe is undeniable.

The material used to rebuild the shoe is artists/painter’s canvas. The use of the material elevates the shoe into an appreciation of its natural form. Taking away all of the color, by using blank canvas material, forces the viewer to appreciate the curves, and construction of the shoe. Using the canvas also completely removes the function as a basket ball shoe and suggests a relationship to artists and the canvas they use to create their works. The material is also lighter, even delicate; suggesting that extra care should be taken when viewed. Much like pieces of art, careful handling (if any) of the object should be exercised. This Air Jordan XI made from artists canvas is a shoe that is not meant to be worn, but its new form suggests appreciation to exist on levels of other works of art.