Eagles, butterflies, beetles, skulls and human hearts are just a few of the things that British artist Phil Robson, aka “Filfury” has shaped using sneaker parts. The self-described 90s child defines his work as a “a battle of pop culture vs nature”, turning his obsession with sneakers, hip hop culture, and our own over-consumption of mass products into an unlikely source material. We first saw his work at Scope Miami Beach this month, an incredible “All Star Eagle”, featuring hardy canvas for feathers and soft laces as tough talons, but we weren’t the first to take notice. The artist has long received recognition from major companies like Nike and Reebok to design imaginative pieces for their campaigns. Sneakers are not the artist’s only materials, however. Filfury has also built his sculptures out of electronics like stereo parts and Casio watches, where bold and sharp plastics and ticking gears are translated into delicate details like a beetle’s wings and antennae. By the time Filfury is finished cutting and rearranging everything from metal grommets, rubber soles, and shoe tongues, only traces of the original object is left in each whimsical piece.
