christophe guinet crafts living NIKE sneakers from flowers

christophe guinet crafts living NIKE sneakers from flowers
all images courtesy of christophe guinet

parisian artist christophe guinet rethinks the iconic NIKE slogan with his project ‘just grow it’ by cultivating sneaker-shaped vegetable and plant-based sculptures. the sneakers, signifying cult products of urban youth, are transformed into compositions made from rocks, poppies, seeds, flower petals and wood. assembled with patience and with remarkable dexterity, the plant shoes are rendered in a hyper-realistic state, with every facet of the sneaker from the sole to the swoosh pieced together with the environmental materials. the project asks the viewer to rediscover the beauty in nature, not just in manufacturing.

‘seed’ comprises an tightly-packed array of environmental materials

making-of ‘seed’ using a NIKE SB and tiny particles of plant life

‘grasshopper’ shoe is formed from fuzzy plant particles and small flower buds

detail of ‘grasshopper’ using a NIKE SB

the tools and materials used in the making-of ‘grasshopper’

‘rock’ is made from soil and earth, with a small tree growing out from the shoe

detail of ‘rock’ illustrates the closely-packed soil pieces used to form the sculpture

making-of ‘rock’, surrounded by the materials used in its creation

‘flower power’ is formed from a mass arrangement of yellow buds

detail of ‘flower power’ using a NIKE SB

making-of ‘flower power’ and the materials used in its creation

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