Repurposing Everyday Resources with Heron Preston

As another Art Basel took a bow in Miami, here’s a quick recap on what went down in the panhandle state:

Dior’s collaboration with Shawn Stussy and Air Jordan, Kanye West emerging as his newest alter ego, the Silver Surfer, and a piece of duct tape & banana somehow netted $120,000. But hey, that’s what the beauty of art itself can do right? What better place to see it unfold than in the sunshine state.

While it seems to be that art can be blown up and stretched out in any direction, creative director and sustainability-fronted Heron Preston brought something a little different into Miami. In collaboration with Basic Space Experiences and Cash App, Heron introduced a series of workshops centered around reducing, recycling, and repurposing everyday materials into ideas and concepts bigger than itself. In supporting the movement for new artists, Cash App incentivised the first 50 attendees to a $500 gift. Not a bad day in Miami to walk away with Heron Preston merchandise and some cash.

Heron’s first workshop focused on his new concept “Authorized Fakes”. Finding a handful of bootleg t-shirts from China that stated “HEROM PRESTOM”, Preston decided to purchase these, and to create a process in re-authenticating these fakes. Reversing the fugazis. All afternoon, the guests were able to screen print their own bootlegs with various graphics and have Heron sign them with an official seal of approval.

For Heron’s second curated workshop, he brought in Nicole McLaughlin, former designer for Reebok & known for her remarkably clever series of reconstructed sneakers, attendees were able to deconstruct and re-upholster their own shoes. From zip-ties to carabiners, buckle-clips and safety ropes, guests went above and beyond to push their own boundaries on what translates as footwear.

Closing out the weekend, Heron invited design agency NUOVA to host the final day of workshops for Art Basel. Emphasizing on sustainability and repurposing, guests were given sheets of reclaimed aluminum honeycomb panels, recycled styrofoam padding, and all the bells and whistles in between to construct a lightweight and mobile chair of their specifications.