Tom Sachs and NikeCraft Elevate the Humble Shoelace Bead Into Collectible Design

Crafted from high-fire English porcelain, the I.S.R.U. Red Bead turns a functional sneaker detail into a sculptural object rooted in bricolage and artistic experimentation.

Tom Sachs

Contemporary artist Tom Sachs is directly integrating his unique studio technique into your footwear. Sachs has officially unveiled the NikeCraft I.S.R.U. Red Bead, building upon the instructional, rules-based conceptual art curriculum of the NikeCraft I.S.R.U. app. This handmade piece blurs the distinction between a mere shoelace accessory and fine art sculpture, serving as a tangible embodiment of bricolage—the activity of making or repairing using available resources.

A bead represents bricolage. Sachs elucidated that a bead constitutes a sculpture, referencing his extensive experience with the material. This release signifies a notable milestone, as ceramic beads have been present in Sachs’s extensive oeuvre, including draw chains on the 2023 Mayonnaise Lamp, zipper pulls and AirPod trackers. This marks the inaugural instance of a handcrafted piece from the artist's New York City studio being incorporated into a NikeCraft sneaker, specifically coinciding with the debut of the GPS Bricolage.

Tom Sachs

Each red, cylindrical bead is expertly fashioned from high-fire English porcelain and dyed with cadmium red pigment. Sachs deliberately selected porcelain for the same reason he employs it in his acclaimed tea bowls: it is among the most resilient ceramics and its fine texture adeptly catches the artist's fingerprints. Each bead weighs 5 grams and measures 1 inch in height with a diameter of 0.5 inches, exhibiting distinct shapes and forms that vary according to their application. Sachs remarked that the beads adhere to the same principles as the entirety of her work. A sculpture may be as diminutive as an inch in height, akin to a bead, or it may occupy an entire exhibition space, like to Space Program or Nutsy’s. However, for it to be significant, one must observe proof of the artist's presence.

As the I.S.R.U. community expands and assimilates the principles of conceptual art, this release provides enthusiasts with a concrete artefact of the curriculum. The Red Bead represents the initial release in a forthcoming collection of NikeCraft ceramic accessories designed by Sachs, allowing for limitless customisation possibilities. The artist stated, “I am now genuinely curious to observe how individuals will utilise beads in their unique manner.” The I.S.R.U. Red Bead is now only available via the NikeCraft webstore.