Interactive sneakers
for New Balance
To celebrate the launch of the New Balance 574S in Shanghai, we created an installation literally centred around the product: a pair of sneakers became interactive controllers for an immersive sound and light experience.
Two custom-built infinity rooms - one at the store, the other erected temporarily at the entrance to a popular shopping mall nearby - invited the public to enter via a curved walkway bathed in pulsing light.
Inside, the new 574S range is the hero, displayed on a glowing plinth which is the only light source for the curved interior.
Lifting the shoes from the plinth triggers an immediate change in light and sound. Visitors are free to touch and explore the shoe, and in the process intuitively discover the interaction mechanism.
Wireless motion sensors hidden inside each shoe allow users to shift the brightness and hue of the lighting, while the ambient audio subtly changes in response. Shaking the shoes or spinning them rapidly unlocks different sound and lighting effects.
Before hearing a word of product information or marketing-speak, the installation allows visitors to enjoy an experience of playfulness and wonder connected directly with the product in their hands.
The lack of visible cables helps the technology disappear, and the curved walls render the boundaries of the space invisible, too.
- For:
- New Balance, Topys
- Role:
- Concept Development, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Software Development, Sound Design, Installation
- With:
- Fiction Factory — Prototype Construction, InventDesign — LED partner
