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compiled by Rossella
Regina
Nike no like (November 3, 2003)
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The hi-tech infobox installed in
Karlsplatz for Nike Ground. Image held here
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Some companies just have no sense of humour...
So what's Nike
Ground? It is a project by the European group of media artists
0100101110101101.ORG
and the Viennese net-culture centre Public Netbase. The project,
which began in mid-September, consists of an advertising campaign
claiming that Nike will be buying streets and squares in major
world capitals in order to rename them and install enormous
monuments inspired by Nike's famous logo, the swoosh.
The art project also included the installation
of huge, hi-tech containers where people could receive more
information about the project itself. The first square to host
one of these gigantic boxes was Karlsplatz, one of the historic
squares of Vienna. Inside, a 3D digital planimetry showed a
36 x 18 m sculpture shaped into a swoosh and made up of a special
steel alloy entirely covered by a red resin, obtained by reclycling
Nike shoe soles.
Austrian citizens didn't care too much for
the idea of selling their square to a multinational without
being at least consulted. Austrian local and national newspapers
received hundreds of complaining letters. Both the Council of
Vienna and Nike denied responsibility for Nike Ground. After
0100101110101101.org claimed paternity of the project, Nike
demanded they remove every single reference to its trademark,
threatening to ask for 78.000 euro in damages.
Last week a commercial court in Vienna rejected
Nike's plea for a provisional injunction on formal grounds,
so the container was able to remain on Karlsplatz until 28 October,
date of the planned takedown. No-one seems sure what the next
step will be.
Meanwhile, visit Nike
Ground. It's a beautiflly designed spoof site.
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