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Sculptor and sneaker connoisseur Gabriel Dishaw has made a name for himself in the sneaker community with his innovative creations such as the Nike Free Time Y2K sculpture. It turns out that he?s been doing his thing for years, counting the likes of Nike and Finish Line as clients. We caught up with Gabriel to discuss the marriage of his passions, his creative process, and his advice to up-and-coming artists.
For readers unfamiliar with your work, give a brief explanation of who you are and what you do.
I’m Gabriel Dishaw, age 31, and I live in Indianapolis, Indiana. I use discarded technology, like typewriters, adding machines, and old computer parts to create my up-cycled art. I carefully disassemble each item and then reassemble them together using metal wire and glue to create a life-like representation of my idea.
When did your passions for footwear and art meet?
It started when I had this bright idea to combine a real shoe and my junk art into one. I bought a pair of Nike Dunks and started the process of dismantling the pair. This sounds easier then it really is. Every piece of material required me to cut every loop of thread and then pry those glued pieces away from the shoe. It took hours! I finally was able to dismantle one shoe and then started to apply computer parts and metal scraps to the base of the shoe. I got about halfway done and just couldn’t see it coming together, so I scrapped it and approached it differently. I thought I could take what I learned from dismantling the shoe and try to apply that to building an up-cycled shoe from the sole up and what I came up with was the Junk Dunk.
Is there a goal or focus with your art?
My goal when creating my sculptures is always to achieve a likeness or realism that rivals the real thing. I want the onlooker to mistake it for a real shoe.
How did Nike approach you about doing a commissioned project?
Finish Line owns a few of my sculptures and they are on display at their corporate office. Nike saw the sculptures and approached me to commission a piece for their release of the Air Max 2011.
The Free Y2K take made a lot of noise on our site. How much time did that take?
This one took quite some time; about 90 hours. The sole was one of the hardest parts. The Nike Free has such a unique bottom that really sets that shoe apart, and if I didn’t nail that the piece would have went to hell.
Click page two to get Gabriel’s inspiration, rotation, and advice to aspiring artists.
