Upcycled Art for the Shoe Obsessed
Gabriel Dishaw is an American sculptor and upcycler that has been creating dramatic, colourful and environmentally friendly artworks since he was in the 9th grade.
We’re particularly obsessed with his shoe sculpture series, an ongoing project of close to 20 pieces that pay homage to his personal collection of over 380 pairs of sneakers!
These unique creations are beautifully crafted from a huge variety of e-waste materials including circuit boards, typewriter parts, wire mesh, data cables, porcelain sockets, gears, rubber pads and wire mesh.
Utilizing the natural symmetry and striking metallic colours of these materials, Dishaw has created intricate replicas of sneakers from a range of brands including Nike, Adidas and Jordan.
The Adidas Superstar is spectacularly detailed, with red wire laces, bottle green circuit board striping and mesh ‘shell’ toe. It’s even mounted on its own metallic shoe box replica!
Each piece is described in detail on Dishaw’s website, including amusing ‘Key Features’ that highlight the melding of subject and materials within the artwork. The Nike Waffle Racer, for example, comes with “premium insoles with memory chip that records diagnostic information throughout your gait” and “tongue chip set for fast gait processing”.
Dishaw sources materials from antique stores, dumps and bins; using hundreds of parts to create each sculpture that take a minimum of 40 hours to complete.
The aesthetic quality of the shoe series is clearly influenced by his use of discarded 60’s and 70’s technology such as typewriter keys and early hard drives; giving the pieces an interesting mix of ‘futuristic’ and ‘junk store’ vibes.
Dishaw’s other works, including the popular ‘Star Wars Series’ are also influenced by a melding of science fiction and vintage technology. Battlestar-Galactica-style fembots, metallic statues of Shiva, angels and horned men; are just a few examples.
The Shoe series includes several commissioned pieces for Nike and many others are being snapped up quickly. To get your hands on one of Gabriel’s upcycled masterpieces, visit his store today!
