Air de Nike, 2002

title: Fig. 004 “Air de Nike"
material: JPEG size: a4 year: 2002

Remax on Marcel Duchamp's: 50 cc of Paris Air / 1919 / Glass ampoule (broken and later restored).
Duchamp purchased this "empty" ampoule from a pharmacist in Paris as a souvenir for his close friend and patron, Walter C. Arensberg. A vial with nothing in it may be the most insubstantial "work of art" imaginable. From a molecular point of view, air is not considered nothing, but when displayed so carefully in an art museum it seems to be less than one might expect. Its precise meaning was rendered even more unstable in 1949, when the ampoule was accidentally broken and repaired, thus begging the question: Is the air even from Paris anymore?
Source: Duchamp Research Portal

It wasn’t athletes like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Serena Williams, or even their most illustrious shoe designer, Tinker Hatfield, who gave Nike their most iconic contribution to the footwear world, but a mad scientist named Frank Rudy. Rudy not only invented the air sole, but he also had to convince someone it was legit enough to put into a running shoe. Phil Knight was inevitably the sneaker CEO who most closely matched Rudy’s out-there energy, and he was willing to take the risk on Rudy’s air-filled sole device. Soon, the idea that was once deemed wacky became Nike Air, the most recognisable shoe cushioning system ever, which propelled the Swoosh – right when they needed it most – to become the multi-billion dollar corporation that it's today.
Source: https://www.sneakerfreaker.com/features/history-nike-air-sole-inventor-frank-rudy/

#Marcel Duchamp #CMYK #Air de Nike

https://www.duchamparchives.org/pma/object/51617/