The homebase for the Launch Event was a "FuelSpace" that we designed and constructed within a large black-box sound stage in New York City's Meatpacking district. This dark and futuristic brand space was where the cultural influencers, press and VIPs first received and tried out their new Nike+FuelBands.
Nike+ FuelWall
Responsive Light Installation
The center piece of the FuelSpace was a 80ft+ responsive light installation. The FuelWall's curved shape and color spectrum feedback were directly inspired by the design and interface of the FuelBand itself. The wall's responsive LED versatubes saturated the space with colorful ambient light, inviting guests to move, playfully interact and continuously change the mood of the room.
The responsive behavior of the FuelWall light installation was enabled by a series of Kinect sensors and IR Cameras mounted above. The movements and exercise activity level of guests in front of the wall was used to trigger the animated color bars. The wall transforming from Red, in its inactive/idle state, through the sprectrum to Green for high activity - reflecting the visual vocabulary and feedback on the FuelBand itself.
The FuelWall ultimately became the defining visual element for the event and led to many immitations and variations in Nike (and competitor brand) events and retail sites around the world.
FuelBand Data /
Departure Kiosks
Within the FuelSpace we designed and created two large 108in video monoliths, displaying 'mission' departure information and realtime data visualization of the teams Fuelband feedback from the days events.
Participants were alerted via the kiosk screens when their individual 'FuelMission' was departing from the space and then were invited to check their results upon returning. Animating mission leaderboards updated in realtime as participants returned and synced their FuelBands to the Kiosks.
FuelBand Counter ➔
Within the FuelSpace I designed a retail counter where the influencers and guests would first receive their FuelBands and Mission instruction packets.
Constructed out of shiney black laminated material and lit by responsively controlled LEDs that adapted to the color theme in the room — the counter complimented the curved shape and ambient light of the FuelWall within the space, creating the visual illusion of being inside a giant active Fuelband.
Each square 'window' in the counter back was designed to perfectly contain one of the cube-shaped FuelBand boxes — creating a matrix of colored squares as they were removed during the event.
SxSW FuelWall Experience
Responsive Light Installations
Inspired by the success of our NYC FuelWall and Niketown Flagship installations, Nike asked us to recreate the experience during the Nike+FuelBand launch event during the SxSW Festival. My team at RadicalMedia designed and built a massive responsive LED installation, over 160feet long, at the heart of the action in downtown Austin.
The SxSW FuelWall played back a series of custom generative animation programs that responded to the movements of festival-goers as they passed by and interacted with the wall.
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