Contemporary Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto recently brought his celebrated hand crochet method to London’s 1948. Swingflybaby is an introduction to the Nike Flyknit Collective project that will span five cities before concluding in Rio De Janerio next month.

 

This summer Nike celebrated the culture of sport in East London with a series of sport and creative workshops, inspired by Nike’s innovative Flyknit technology, that will ultimately motivate and inform urban regeneration for the local community.

 

The Flyknit Collective workshops, held at 1948 London, used each of the key attributes of Nike Flyknit as inspiration for four exclusive seminar events. Led by Nike innovators and London’s creative talent, the combined outcome of the workshops has been a real-life project that fuses sport and culture in the form of the newly-regenerated Aske Gardens.

 

Swingflybaby is currently suspended in the middle of the 1948 courtyard: “At the end of the day my piece at 1948 it's an extended hammock” Ernesto boldly states. “We have less opportunity to use our bodies as we get older. So I want everyone who comes to see my sculptures to have an opportunity to use their bodies in a way in which they haven’t for a long time.”

 

With the piece suspended in the courtyard for a month Ernesto held two workshops as part of The Flyknit Collective with the 1948 sports clubs Run Dem Crew and Mother Meeting. Based around the sculpture, he taught both clubs how to hand crochet while also showcasing how to use the piece as part of a warm up before running and a workout respectively. “The thing that bonds art and sport together is the similarity that share a need for an audience. They both need an audience to feel appreciated and relevant. The idea of art and sport for me is natural.”

 

Born and raised in Brazil, Ernesto is renowned for large scale interactive sculptures and installations. Each piece is created with the audience in mind, inviting the audience to interact with the pieces, to touch, feel, climb and walk all over it. “I always want my pieces to be interactive. I want my audience to be able to touch, feel and get inside the work, to be part of the exhibition! In too many galleries we are taught not to touch anything, I want to change that and I invite my audience to explore the work I have created for them.”

 

In the instance of Swingflybaby, Ernesto used a crocheting method taught by his great aunt and grandmother to create the piece. “My great aunt and grandmother taught me how to crochet. I remember the first time I made something on my own, they looked at me in shock, like it was impossible for a man to make something! Now when they see my sculptures they are amazed, I owe a lot to them.”

 

Ernesto’s next stop is Rio De Janeiro where he is due to have his largest exhibition to date. “I cannot reveal too much about it just yet, but I think the audience will be very excited to explore this one. I think in this instance it would be good to remember that I like to take risks, to be safe all the time is boring. I like incorporating that into my work, I want people to be able to be free, that's why I like interactive sculptures, people can be free to do whatever they want within the piece.”

 

Zainab Jama