Latest news with #Wiesner
Fast Company
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Mschf's $100,000 baby sculpture will be sold by the slice
In 2020, the art collective Mschf cut up a $30,0000 Damien Hirst print into pieces. Hirst's 88 colorful dots were individually sold for $480, as part of Mschf Severed Spots project that explored themes of ownership and exclusivity in the art world. Now, the Brooklyn-based group is looking to chop into a new piece, but this time it's their own foam sculpture of a giant baby. Based on the biblical story of King Solomon cutting a baby in half for two grieving mothers, King Solomon's Baby will quite literally be cut into pieces, with the number of deli-like slices being determined by the amount of online buyers. Ultimately, it's a new approach to how large-scale sculptures can be observed and obtained. Anywhere from one to 1,000 people can purchase a randomized piece of the baby, with each buyer bringing the price down as the number of baby slices go up. The first person to put in their card to buy a piece of the sculpture could receive the entirety of the 15 foot-long baby for $100,000, or pay as little as $100 for a sliver of its toe, or somewhere in between—all with no control of the end result. 'Part of the problem with artwork and for us is that whenever we want to make a singular object, we realize that the way that you can interact with a piece like that is very limited,' Wiesner says. 'It doesn't translate particularly well to a mass audience and people on their phones. This [Soloman's baby] is a mechanism that at least scales the experience—[possibly] a thousand times. All of those people then become participants in the overall life trajectory of what this sculpture is.' The baby isn't meant to have one singular meaning, but rather it's supposed to open up discussion for what ownership and division can mean to the individual viewer and buyer. As the piece gets cut, it becomes less of a three-dimensional sculpture, and more of a two-dimensional wall ornament meant for 'public consumption.' According to the group, this isn't a new idea, but rather a coexisting example of how we visually interpret the world around us. 'You don't you don't know what a thing means until a bunch of people have interacted with it,' Wiesner said. 'I mean, you see it really in on-the-nose stuff, like the Cybertruck. We didn't necessarily know what that car was going to mean when it was first released, and now it has a very particular cultural meaning that is entirely created by its audience.' The experimental piece will be displayed at Pioneer Works, a nonprofit arts and cultural center in Brooklyn, New York on July 10, with a ceremonial 'slicing' of the baby down its middle. Following the sale period, the sculpture will be performatively cut into its sold pieces, which will be viewable in-person and via livestream. The final slicings' of King Solomon's Baby will remain on view at Pioneer Works through their Second Sunday's event, before each piece is shipped off to its new owner. The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Motor 1
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
‘BEAT ME IN A FOOTRACE:' Car Salesman Offers Unconventional Deal on New Car. Would You Do It?
If you've ever wanted to literally run from a car salesman, now's your chance. Getting to the finish line first might even save you $100. Fleet-footed car shoppers in eastern Texas may be wise to make a trip to the Wiesner of Huntsville dealership, where car salesman Adam Vance ( @ ) is offering $100 off any of the models on the lot to anyone who beats him in a footrace. The dealership sells General Motors , Chevrolet , and Buick . Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Vance issued the challenge in a TikTok this spring. The post is captioned, 'No gimmicks, no games, just a footrace for $100 off.' The TikTok has been viewed more than 148,000 times so far. Vance, a 19-year-old junior at Sam Houston State University and former high school athlete, says the idea came from a simple place: Wanting to make car buying feel a little less like a chore. 'It's supposed to be fun,' Vance told Motor1 over the phone. 'If you're thinking about buying a new car, that should be exciting, not stressful.' 'People hear 'car dealership' and tense up. I wanted to break the ice a little,' he added. 'I'm just a regular guy trying to make it. I've got two roommates, and I drive a 300,000-mile truck. I'm not out here to scam anyone.' Ready to Run Trending Now 'That Honda Fit Sounds Like the One:' Used Car Salesman Picks His Top 6 Vehicles Under $4,000. But How Reliable Are They? 'How Does This Happen?:' Nissan Customer Backs Into a Parked Car During Test Drive. Then the Salesman Pulls the Security Footage The rules of the race are pretty flexible: beat Vance in a 40-yard race across the lot and get $100. Vance says he's open to longer or shorter distances depending on the customer's energy or sense of humor. He's done two official races so far, he says. There have been other willing opponents, but sometimes scheduling and logistics have gotten in the way. Vance recalled that one customer pulled up when he was mid-sale with another client and honked at him from across the lot, yelling, 'You ready for that race?' 'I told him, 'If you'll work with another salesperson while I finish up, I'll race you when I'm done,'' Vance said. 'I meant it.' Winning While Selling So far, Vance says he remains undefeated. He played 6A varsity football, ran cross country, and wrestled in high school. But prospective racers/customers shouldn't feel discouraged. 'I'm not trying to humiliate anyone,' he said. 'If you show up ready to run, I'll honor it. Win or lose, we'll both probably be out of breath.' The lighthearted stunt has given Vance a modest dose of internet fame. He insists his offer is about reshaping the experience as much as it's about getting him some attention and new leads. 'There are too many dealers out there who treat people like numbers,' he said. 'If I can make one person smile, or make the process a little more human, that's a win even if I have to sprint for it.' People largely appreciate Vance's approach to sales, though some pointed out that any winner's purse wouldn't reduce the cost of a typical GM vehicle by even half of a percentage point. '100 dollars isn't doing anything; this man just like racing,' one wrote. Another gave Vance kudos for his attitude, writing, 'God forbid someone makes car buying a little more fun.' Yet another appeared ready to get in the starting blocks. 'Let's lock it in,' they said. 'These legs haven't ran since track 5 years ago.' More From Motor1 'I Will Take a Fancy Glass:' Man Goes to the Lexus Dealership for Lunch 5 Weeks in a Row. Can You Do That? 'It'll Be $450:' Man Tries to Get a New Key for His 2022 Toyota Camry at the Dealership. Then He's Sent to the Parts Department 'I Legit Have Nightmares:' Customer Buys Chevy Suburban From Dealership. Then She Runs Into This Issue 3 Weeks Later 'Make Sure You Understand:' Dealership Worker Shares First Thing You Need to Do After Buying a New Car. But Does Anyone Bother? Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mschf Challenges Copyright Norms With New Blurberry, Blucci and Blendi Bags
Mschf, a Brooklyn-based collective known for its viral products that often challenge consumerist culture, is targeting designer bags with its latest release. The group unveiled on Thursday its Blur bags, a continuation of the GSCT — Global Supply Chain Telephone — bag series featuring three prototypes of blurred monograms: Blurberry, Blucci and Blendi. The idea behind the release is to challenge 'the questions around copyright infringement as well as the spectrum of creative labor that the factory performs,' according to a statement from Mschf. More from WWD Robert Pattinson's Got a Brand New Bag in Dior Icons Line Spring Campaign Gigi Hadid Gets Painterly Retouch in New Miu Miu Ad Campaign EXCLUSIVE: Stoney Clover Lane Launches First Leather Category Priced at $650, the Blurberry, Blucci and Blendi bags are crafted from leather with twill interior and feature a detachable shoulder strap. The bags notably borrow inspiration from monogrammed patterns of Burberry, Gucci and Fendi. 'I think we can safely say that fashion is referential, and it continues to be even in this factory, first creative process,' Kevin Wiesner, chief creative officer at Mschf, told WWD via email. Mschf debuted the GSCT in 2024. The bag served as a social experiment for the collective, which highlighted the creative labor from four factories — in Peru, Portugal, India and China — as part of the design process, giving different prompts to each one, creating a telephone chain of labor. 'GSCT set out to protagonize that labor, to design a bag that uses solely factory decision-making as its design process,' Wiesner said. 'We tried different types of prompts to the various factories, some quite abstract — 'complicate' the previous factory's prototype, 'feminize' it, 'masculinize' it — and some much more concrete — we have this prototype, but we wish it was a little more like this other bag. That latter telephone chain in particular yielded the most compelling result, in that each of the stages of iteration are clearly evidenced in the final object.' 'You could read the final bag as a metaphor for how globalized design operates — but more than that, it's just being honest about how the bag was made. It's not about a design vision or name on the product. It's about supply chain gymnastics. That's what luxury really is now,' said Lukas Bentel, chief creative officer at Mschf. The bags will be available for a limited time from Thursday throughout the weekend at Mschf's pop-up installation at 48 Ludlow Street in New York City and at Started in 2016 and reincorporated in 2019 by Gabriel Whaley, Daniel Greenberg, Stephen Tetreault, Wiesner and Bentel, Mschf has built its fame by releasing provocative products, including the 'Jesus Shoes' and 'Satan Shoes,' made from Nike Air Max 97s, and the cartoon-ish Big Red Boots. In 2023, Mschf released a 3D-printed, microscopic handbag, based on Louis Vuitton's OnTheGo tote. The bag was made available through auction house Joopiter for an estimated $15,000. View Gallery Launch Gallery: Mschf Releases Blur Bags: Blurberry, Blucci and Blendi [PHOTOS] Best of WWD Lunar New Year Collections to Know: Details on Fashion, Jewelry and More Brands Embracing the Year of the Snake Valentine's Day Collections to Know: Details on Fashion, Makeup, Jewelry and More Brands Giving Products a Touch of Love, Live Updates Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami: Everything to Know About the Collaboration Ahead of Its 2025 Re-edition
CNN
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Satan shoes, microscopic bags and big red boots: How MSCHF conquered the art world
MSCHF has been called many things — performers, designers, even internet trolls — but for co-chief creative officer Kevin Wiesner, the title 'artists' works just fine. It's an ambiguous enough term to cover all the hats its members wear, he told CNN over a Zoom call. Besides, Wiesner added: 'Nobody really knows what that means' — which aligns with the art collective's typically elusive nature. Since its founding in 2016, the 25-member Brooklyn-based group has made headlines with provocative 'drops,' like the cartoonish big red boots inspired by the Japanese manga character Astro Boy; the infamous 'Satan Shoes,' containing a drop of human blood; and a microscopic Louis Vuitton-style bag, barely visible to the human eye, that sold for over $63,000. In the past, MSCHF would take a back seat after releasing its creations, preferring to watch the internet and media attempt to make sense of them with little or no information. 'We were trying to maintain a black box as much as possible,' Wiesner explained. 'We were really avoiding any kind of personal outward association with the group in a lot of ways, because we had this idea that we wanted these projects to show up from nothing — to seem like they just sprung, fully formed, from the head of Zeus.' Lukas Bentel, MSCHF's other co-chief creative officer, agreed, telling CNN that 'a lot of the projects are us setting up a scenario, and then we're kind of watching (it) play out from everybody that's interacting with it.' He added: 'We really don't give any behind-the-scenes look at any of the projects.' That's about to change with the group's first book 'Made by MSCHF,' which offers a rare glimpse into some of the most successful drops of the past nine years. The book also addresses the highs and lows of being art-world outsiders and MSCHF's approach to both leveraging and satirizing what it dubs 'modern internet capitalism' — in other words, the internet's role in consumerism. With riskier projects, MSCHF has pushed the boundaries of copyright law: After the 2021 release of its Satan Shoes, modified Nike Air Max 97 sneakers that sold out in under a minute, Nike filed a lawsuit against the group. (The sportswear giant claimed trademark infringement and asked the court to stop MSCHF from selling the shoes and prevent the collective from using its famous Swoosh logo. A settlement was ultimately reached and MSCHF issued a voluntary recall on the shoes and offered a buy-back program.) It became MSCHF's 'most dramatic production story' to date, according to Wiesner. The group first learned of Nike's lawsuit through a small newspaper that had emailed asking for comment and members scrambled to produce exactly 666 pairs of shoes before officially receiving a temporary restraining order. Related article The artist making unsettling AI images of the human body To produce the Satan Shoes, MSCHF snuck into a factory in Maspeth, Queens, to form an assembly line into the early hours of the morning. 'It was one of the best bonding moments — you feel sort of like Indiana Jones getting in the door before the rock tumbles on you,' Bentel said. It wasn't MSCHF's first run-in with Nike, either: In 2019, the group made waves with its 'Jesus Shoes' — customized Nike Air Max 97 sneakers filled with holy water from the Jordan River — which became one of the most Googled shoes of the year. While the numbers speak for their footwear (MSCHF sold over 20,000 pairs of its big red boots, priced at $350 each), the collective is adamant about not being perceived as another streetwear brand. Wiesner and Bentel said that their favorite project took place in 2022, when MSCHF sold 1,000 duplicate car keys that unlocked the same one car, a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser parked in an unidentified location in New York City (buyers were required to follow clues to track down the vehicle). In a matter of days, the car had already made its way through all five boroughs as well as several states. MSCHF watched on as the car was broken, then repaired, customized and more. 'I think a lot of people, especially in more professional contexts, assume that we have marketing KPIs (key performance indicators) where we're like, 'Oh, well, we got 10 million impressions,' or whatever that nonsense is, and use that as a metric of success. We very much don't,' Wiesner said. He explained the collective chooses projects based on personal interest and 'the degree to which that concept validates itself (as it) takes on new life or evolves over the course of the project.' MSCHF is often surprised by the public response to its drops. The original 200 pairs of big red boots sold out instantly. The 'Jesus Shoes' began as a limited collection of a dozen pairs, according to MSCHF's new book. Each pair was priced at $1,425, but in less than a month, the group managed to produce and sell more than 700 pairs, its value on resale platform StockX rising to as much as $3,000. 'We never expected people to want this, but oh my god, they did,' Wiesner said. MSCHF's audience is something of an enigma — from an ATM installation, where users' bank account balances were shown on a public leaderboard screen, to the series of locked iPhones with celebrities' phone numbers on them, MSCHF's projects have interacted with people from many different communities, demographics and ages, said Bentel. RJ Rushmore, an art enthusiast from Philadelphia, began closely following MSCHF's work following the Satan Shoes controversy in 2021 and, soon after, started collecting pieces from its drops. Today, he owns several of the group's shoe styles, including a pair from the 'Super Normal' line, as well as a piece of the $30,000 Damien Hirst artwork that MSCHF cut into 88 parts and sold individually. Related article From Instagram to art world darling: The meteoric rise of Danielle Mckinney While Rushmore acknowledges that some of MSCHF's drops can be viewed as 'silly,' they also serve as fascinating commentary on the best and worst of internet culture — and on broader social and economic matters, like American tax law (MSCHF's 'Tax Heaven 3000,' launched in 2023, combined a functional tax filing software with an online dating simulator). That, he said, is what makes MSCHF so appealing to its fans: 'If a decade from now, MSCHF is just another streetwear brand, I'll feel disappointed. But if, a decade from now, MSCHF is still poking fun … even at my expense, I think I'll feel good,' Rushmore said. Wiesner and Bentel are secretive about what MSCHF is working on next, but said the collective is in a transformational period as its members reflect on past projects and their place online, where it has become increasingly difficult to decipher what is real. As to why MSCHF decided to now publish a book revealing some of its inner-most thoughts, Wiesner and Bentel said they hope to inspire others. Within the book, Wiesner and Bentel give explicit permission for readers to do what they like with MSCHF's artwork — as long as it's not boring, or else the group will send out IP lawyers to shut it down, the book cheekily states. 'It's so exciting when you see somebody make something new, because it's so much harder to make things than to just sit there and consume everything coming at you,' Bentel said. 'If anything, I hope the whole practice (of MSCHF) is sort of an education that (gives permission to) play with all this stuff and culture, and not just watch it go over your head.'
CNN
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Satan shoes, microscopic bags and big red boots: How MSCHF conquered the art world
MSCHF has been called many things — performers, designers, even internet trolls — but for co-chief creative officer Kevin Wiesner, the title 'artists' works just fine. It's an ambiguous enough term to cover all the hats its members wear, he told CNN over a Zoom call. Besides, Wiesner added: 'Nobody really knows what that means' — which aligns with the art collective's typically elusive nature. Since its founding in 2016, the 25-member Brooklyn-based group has made headlines with provocative 'drops,' like the cartoonish big red boots inspired by the Japanese manga character Astro Boy; the infamous 'Satan Shoes,' containing a drop of human blood; and a microscopic Louis Vuitton-style bag, barely visible to the human eye, that sold for over $63,000. In the past, MSCHF would take a back seat after releasing its creations, preferring to watch the internet and media attempt to make sense of them with little or no information. 'We were trying to maintain a black box as much as possible,' Wiesner explained. 'We were really avoiding any kind of personal outward association with the group in a lot of ways, because we had this idea that we wanted these projects to show up from nothing — to seem like they just sprung, fully formed, from the head of Zeus.' Lukas Bentel, MSCHF's other co-chief creative officer, agreed, telling CNN that 'a lot of the projects are us setting up a scenario, and then we're kind of watching (it) play out from everybody that's interacting with it.' He added: 'We really don't give any behind-the-scenes look at any of the projects.' That's about to change with the group's first book 'Made by MSCHF,' which offers a rare glimpse into some of the most successful drops of the past nine years. The book also addresses the highs and lows of being art-world outsiders and MSCHF's approach to both leveraging and satirizing what it dubs 'modern internet capitalism' — in other words, the internet's role in consumerism. With riskier projects, MSCHF has pushed the boundaries of copyright law: After the 2021 release of its Satan Shoes, modified Nike Air Max 97 sneakers that sold out in under a minute, Nike filed a lawsuit against the group. (The sportswear giant claimed trademark infringement and asked the court to stop MSCHF from selling the shoes and prevent the collective from using its famous Swoosh logo. A settlement was ultimately reached and MSCHF issued a voluntary recall on the shoes and offered a buy-back program.) It became MSCHF's 'most dramatic production story' to date, according to Wiesner. The group first learned of Nike's lawsuit through a small newspaper that had emailed asking for comment and members scrambled to produce exactly 666 pairs of shoes before officially receiving a temporary restraining order. Related article The artist making unsettling AI images of the human body To produce the Satan Shoes, MSCHF snuck into a factory in Maspeth, Queens, to form an assembly line into the early hours of the morning. 'It was one of the best bonding moments — you feel sort of like Indiana Jones getting in the door before the rock tumbles on you,' Bentel said. It wasn't MSCHF's first run-in with Nike, either: In 2019, the group made waves with its 'Jesus Shoes' — customized Nike Air Max 97 sneakers filled with holy water from the Jordan River — which became one of the most Googled shoes of the year. While the numbers speak for their footwear (MSCHF sold over 20,000 pairs of its big red boots, priced at $350 each), the collective is adamant about not being perceived as another streetwear brand. Wiesner and Bentel said that their favorite project took place in 2022, when MSCHF sold 1,000 duplicate car keys that unlocked the same one car, a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser parked in an unidentified location in New York City (buyers were required to follow clues to track down the vehicle). In a matter of days, the car had already made its way through all five boroughs as well as several states. MSCHF watched on as the car was broken, then repaired, customized and more. 'I think a lot of people, especially in more professional contexts, assume that we have marketing KPIs (key performance indicators) where we're like, 'Oh, well, we got 10 million impressions,' or whatever that nonsense is, and use that as a metric of success. We very much don't,' Wiesner said. He explained the collective chooses projects based on personal interest and 'the degree to which that concept validates itself (as it) takes on new life or evolves over the course of the project.' MSCHF is often surprised by the public response to its drops. The original 200 pairs of big red boots sold out instantly. The 'Jesus Shoes' began as a limited collection of a dozen pairs, according to MSCHF's new book. Each pair was priced at $1,425, but in less than a month, the group managed to produce and sell more than 700 pairs, its value on resale platform StockX rising to as much as $3,000. 'We never expected people to want this, but oh my god, they did,' Wiesner said. MSCHF's audience is something of an enigma — from an ATM installation, where users' bank account balances were shown on a public leaderboard screen, to the series of locked iPhones with celebrities' phone numbers on them, MSCHF's projects have interacted with people from many different communities, demographics and ages, said Bentel. RJ Rushmore, an art enthusiast from Philadelphia, began closely following MSCHF's work following the Satan Shoes controversy in 2021 and, soon after, started collecting pieces from its drops. Today, he owns several of the group's shoe styles, including a pair from the 'Super Normal' line, as well as a piece of the $30,000 Damien Hirst artwork that MSCHF cut into 88 parts and sold individually. Related article From Instagram to art world darling: The meteoric rise of Danielle Mckinney While Rushmore acknowledges that some of MSCHF's drops can be viewed as 'silly,' they also serve as fascinating commentary on the best and worst of internet culture — and on broader social and economic matters, like American tax law (MSCHF's 'Tax Heaven 3000,' launched in 2023, combined a functional tax filing software with an online dating simulator). That, he said, is what makes MSCHF so appealing to its fans: 'If a decade from now, MSCHF is just another streetwear brand, I'll feel disappointed. But if, a decade from now, MSCHF is still poking fun … even at my expense, I think I'll feel good,' Rushmore said. Wiesner and Bentel are secretive about what MSCHF is working on next, but said the collective is in a transformational period as its members reflect on past projects and their place online, where it has become increasingly difficult to decipher what is real. As to why MSCHF decided to now publish a book revealing some of its inner-most thoughts, Wiesner and Bentel said they hope to inspire others. Within the book, Wiesner and Bentel give explicit permission for readers to do what they like with MSCHF's artwork — as long as it's not boring, or else the group will send out IP lawyers to shut it down, the book cheekily states. 'It's so exciting when you see somebody make something new, because it's so much harder to make things than to just sit there and consume everything coming at you,' Bentel said. 'If anything, I hope the whole practice (of MSCHF) is sort of an education that (gives permission to) play with all this stuff and culture, and not just watch it go over your head.'
