Karl Chester
Unification of Opposites
Karl Chester
Warrington, UK
Unification of Opposites
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Product Details
I did not have an idea in mind when I started, I let my intuition and instincts guide me and allowed the design to reveal itself naturally.
The first conscious decision, was selecting colours (Pink and blue) from there my subconscious did the rest! I painted Ideas as they came to me and did not second guess. The colours became the foundation for a concept of polarity, feminine and masculine, sun and moon, black and white etc. It shows a unification of opposites and the true yin and yang balance of the world.
That duality guided the rest of the design and connected directly with my fascination for sacred geometry, the flow of life, the fabric of the universe and how all of these patterns shape the world.
I drew (literally) inspiration from ancient architectural methods and structures like the Fibonacci sequence, the Vesica Piscis, concentric circles, The flower of life and Metatron’s cube. I wanted to do the whole shoe with this design and realised how lofty that goal was. From that point, it was all about making something visually balanced and aesthetically pleasing, whilst still honouring the feeling behind my art.
I also felt like as I am a guy that just goes with the flow and likes to surrender to the moment like water, I wanted to bring that into the design. I wanted to put waves but that felt a little cliché, so I did a combination of water and air that turned into a fluid, organic and almost ethereal movement across the front of the shoe. The hands represent the original creators, they are the tools behind every paint stroke, sketch and idea. From painting to writing or taking that winning shot, hands create mastery.
Finally, I added accents of gold. When I was a kid, growing up in the “rougher” parts of Warrington there was a guy who lived down the road called Mick who wore more gold than Mr T and I was just mesmerised by it. Gold has always felt powerful and precious to me so using it here felt like a nod to that childhood awe and the strength it represents.
The sneaker is a blend of instinct, symbolism and memory. It represents who I am as an artist as well as how I move through the world.
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