in addition to the 6 wall pieces i did this year for the Doernbecher auction, i also did something even more different. i made a plane! i figure the word “air” is synonymous with Nike / Jordan so why isn’t there a true Air Jordan – well.. it’s not a Jordan, but i had this pair of Air Yeezys that needed some love – so i got out the tools and got down to it…

what follows is the result of many many hours of dry-fitting and hoping – hoping that it was going to work out. just like the other pieces, i only had one chance to get it right… thankfully i did.

the stand was made for me by my good friend Dave Laubenthal and was constructed out of ebonized walnut with spring wire to hold the plane up by its laces. it was designed to be hung, but i needed to be able to have it freestanding for the auction night – so he and i devised this system.

and yes, the soles and the runway lights glow in the dark – of course!

i used the lace grommets on the upper panels to secure the pieces together while still allowing me to thread the laces through… then i used craft wire and eyelets to secure the rest of the wings.

since it’s a shoe-plane, it had to be adorned with the Yeezy heel strap.

and the engines of the plane are made from leather and the lace holder… getting these attached was not as easy as i had hoped – but they’re on there now…

anyway, there it is…
hope you enjoy!