If you think the black keys on a keyboard are reminiscent of shadows, then you and Maurice Mbikayi are on the same wavelength. The South African artist uses keyboard keys as a sculpting media and has created various silhouette-inspired works integrating the keys in unique ways.
Maurice Mbikayi also creates other thought-provoking pieces with South African politics being an ongoing theme to most of his works. The creative artist has worked in photography, mixed media, sculptures and even performance art.
Implications - Consumers love seeing familiar objects recontextualized into artwork because it challenges them cognitively to reevaluate their relationship to those items. Corporations looking to garner media attention for their wares may consider a publicity stunt where they use their products to make art.
Keyboard Skulls
Maurice Mbikayi Transforms Computer Peripherals Into Human Figures
Trend Themes
1. Recontextualizing Familiar Objects - Corporations can take advantage of consumers' love for seeing familiar objects recontextualized into artwork by incorporating this trend into their product design or marketing campaigns.
2. Integration of Unconventional Materials - Artists like Maurice Mbikayi are using unconventional materials such as keyboard keys to create unique and thought-provoking sculptures, presenting an opportunity for industries to explore new ways of incorporating unconventional materials in their products or processes.
3. Art as Medium for Social Commentary - Maurice Mbikayi's focus on South African politics in his artwork highlights the power of art as a medium for social commentary, inspiring industries to explore similar approaches in their messaging or branding to connect with a socially conscious audience.
Industry Implications
1. Art and Design - The integration of unconventional materials and recontextualization of familiar objects by artists like Maurice Mbikayi can inspire the art and design industry to push boundaries and explore new artistic expressions.
2. Consumer Electronics - The incorporation of keyboard keys as a sculpting media by Maurice Mbikayi presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for the consumer electronics industry to experiment with unconventional product designs or artist collaborations.
3. Advertising and Marketing - The use of art as a medium for social commentary, as showcased by Maurice Mbikayi, can provide a disruptive innovation opportunity for the advertising and marketing industry to create impactful campaigns that resonate with a socially conscious audience.