The Art of Touch

Insight

The fine art of football.

Footballers, like German midfielder Jamal Musiala, are considered artists of the game. With that in mind, Jamal was announced as the new face of Nike Tiempo, a football boot dedicated to taking a player’s touch to the next level.

To usher in this new era of Tiempo, Nike placed touch on a pedestal for Germany’s football fanatics. The only problem? You can’t see it; touch is more of a feeling.

Idea

Giving form to a feeling.

The Art of Touch was a first-of-its-kind football playground designed to turn a player’s unique touch into a unique work of art. Hosted at Berlin’s Kindl gallery, Germany’s best young ballers were invited to put their touch to the test and see it come to life in front of their eyes.

Kitted out in a fresh pair of Nike Tiempo, attendees took turns weaving through a custom obstacle course in which one false move could send gallery artefacts tumbling to the floor.

Every touch was captured by resident data artist, Kirell Benzi, and fed into an algorithm. As each player came to a halt, their touch took shape in real-time, resulting in a one-of-a-kind artwork that each person could take home as a digital collectible.

When they weren’t twisting and turning through the course, attendees could learn more about touch and Tiempo throughout the gallery. Product experts from Nike hosted workshops on the science behind the boots, while game stations hosted pro-gamers tasked with perfecting your touch on a digital pitch.

Impact

One for the fans.

Jamal Musiala and Tiempo made their debut in front of a sell-out crowd. The rest of Germany’s football community wasn’t left out; Twitch star Amar live-streamed the event to his 1.6 million followers and hosted a live Q&A with Jamal.