BMX in the Beijing Olympics - Mark Lewman on the spot for Nemo
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- 1 The day of days is finally here: BMX in the Olympics. Our group has a battery of Nike helpers on the ground to get things done. First things first, where the hell is the best route to the Laoshan stadium? Even with the government mandate to cut Beijing traffic in half during the Olympics, the roads are still crowded and the smog and haze are insane this morning.
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- Get in here
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- People fan out and the key to being a better fan is to have giant stuff. Like this Aussie dude.
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- Who knew BMX had official cheerleaders? The press pool needs to get into the spirit.
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- The starting gate was a three story tall drop. Riders hit about 30mph down the first straight, with key sections of the track paved. This descent ramp was wooden.
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- When the gate drops, the bullshit stops. Mike Day holeshots down the first straight.
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- Mike Day slated to win the gold. YEAHHH!
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- Kyle Bennett, a team USA athlete racing for a slot in the finals, gets tangled up in the first turn. This was the gnarliest crash of the day.
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- The berms are asphalt and riders carve through the corners held in place by G-forces. Their bikes are almost level against the wall of the berm. So rad.
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- But one fuck up at this speed and it all goes to hell in a hurry.
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- The Dutch guy leading the pack buckles under the G-forces and he goes down, starting a chain reaction of bad stuff…
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- Which ends with Kyle Bennet on the ground, completely jacked.
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- Kyle Bennet in the gnarliest wreck of the day.
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- John Martin Shouting in tongues
FREESTYLIN’ launch party
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0iCoZa8ww]
I grabbed the Canon G9 and headed to Brooklyn Projects opening and launch of the Nemo produced book FREESTYLIN’. Nike SB’s, John Martin asked Nemo creative director Mark Lewman if he could do anything for BMX what would he do. Lewman brought the old band together from the Freestylin’ days and put together an amazing historical outline of the pioneering days of freestyle BMX. Spike Jones and Andy Jenkins collaborated in their original roles and put together the book.
BMX racing will debut in China at the Olympics next month and Nike SB has been doing promotions to bring focus to the new event. Michael Lau designed special limited edition Blazers for the promotion and if you were at the party in LA the he also design two special edition toys and a show box that is so unique and original!
Wim Delvoye’s art farm
Wim Delvoye is an oddly fascinating fellow, from creating a machine that actually manufactures REAL POO (!), to other artistic ventures ranging from stained glass field goals to other works of “poop art“. The Belgian artist bought a pig farm in Beijing, China and has been churning out tattooed pigs. Wim’s tattoo art ranges from Disney characters to Louise Vuitton signature pattern to Russian prison tats. Buyers have the option of “adopting” their pig and watching it via web cam while it lives out its days getting tattoos, being fed sugar cubes by visitors and frolicking in a grassy meadow. Each pig receives individual care from appointed “moisturisers” to keep the tats in good condition up until they reach maturity, then they harvest said tattoos in a few ways. You can either have your pig taxedermied, you can get the raw hide to hang on a wall and If you want it real classy, you can get it stretched over canvas. PETA would have a field day with this guy! be sure to check out more here!
NIKE 6.0 Lightning Bolts aka NEMO in China
In preparation for the Olympics in China, Nike 6.0 hosted the “Lightning Bolts” BMX Exhibition in Beijing. The event brought BMXing’s legends out to play. 6.0 riders put on a live demo and legends customized number plates for the art show.
Nemo’s very own Mark Lewman, an OG of BMX’s Freestylin Magazine, was one of the brains behind the event. He has been hard at work creating an anniversary edition of Freestylin (that will have a very special limited release) and designing his very own number plate. YEAH Lew!
Li Wei - China’s stunt artist
Today’s inspiration was sparked by the travel plans of Nemo Design’s Creative Director, Mark Lewman. He is on a plane today to China to be part of a pre Olympic art show. The “Lightning Bolt” show is supporting Nike’s sponsorship of BMX racing at the 2008 games. The venue is a converted oil tank located in downtown. The curiosity leads me to the work of Li Wei.
SHOCKING
As the world gets cluttered with images after image it really does become difficult to stand out and have a signature to work. Li Wei work is a cross between performance art and suicide. In action sports we had an underlying mantra of shut up and put up. Don’t tell me what you are going to do, show me. Li puts himself into the work, literally. He has suspended himself above the Beijing skyline to illustrate his vision. I can’t help but wonder if the adrenaline is a key part of the art.
PROGRESSION
It is hard to also progress a body of work and continue to re invent your vision. Sally Mann had a difficult transition after her inspiration, her family, grew up. Li seems to have let his thirst for adreline move his work. The simple magicians mirror trick of 2000 has grown into high wire production. For example, the performance/photograph titled Free Degree Over 29th Story (2003), in which Li Wei’s body appears to float from a window on the 29th floor of Beijing’s Jianwai SOHO office complex. In the image, his body is held in gravity-defying suspension. Arms outstretched, body rigidly horizontal, Li appears on the threshold of either soaring miraculously among the skyscrapers of Beijing’s Central Business District, or plummeting gloriously like Evel Knievel.
Li has gone on to exhibit his work internationally, including recent solo exhibitions in Hong Kong, Madrid, Beijing, and Milan.
http://www.liweiart.com