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people began to take notice. A feature article was written about his
work in
SLAM
magazine, and multi-industry interest began to spark as
top leaders in hip-hop, fashion, and sports began obsessing over “the
artist with the gold Jordans.” Senna continued the series, publishing
the photos on his website, installing pieces at studio exhibitions in Los
Angeles, and taking commissions for artists like R&B mogul Usher and
rap legend Jadakiss.
The Jordan brand has played a significant role in the globalization of
American culture, particularly after Michael Jordan led TeamUSA’s “Dream
Team” to gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, effectively forging a name
for basketball as a world-wide sport. To emphasize this pivotal milestone,
Senna installed a pair of bronze Jordan VIIs outside of Barcelona’s Pavelló
Olímpic de Badalona, the scene of the Dream Team’s Olympic victory.
Shortly after, Senna made the leap fromgoldmedal to golden statue, with
his gold Jorden sneaker serving as an emotional surprise for songwriter
and performer Common after his Oscar win last February. The former
Chicago Bulls ballboy was so thrilled with the gift that he posted a photo
on Instagram and shouted Senna’s name for the world to hear on national
television; a career- and life- changing event, to put it mildly.
After such incredible mainstream exposure, the traffic on Senna’s website
skyrocketed, leading to a global tour with installations in Hong Kong and
Tokyo, and a special commision for hip-hop superstar (and current Jordan
brand rep), Drake, rendered in 24K gold and making headlines for their
100-pound weight and reported $1.9 million dollar price tag.
Today, his travels have brought him home to Kean University; first as
an alumni success story in the “World-Class Education” campaign, and
most recently, as the keynote speaker of “Thinking Creatively,” RBSD’s
annual design conference. After sharing his wisdom and experience
with students at the Union campus, Senna will take his show on the
road, delivering the keynote address later this spring at the first Thinking
Creatively conference at the Wenzhou Kean campus in Wenzhou, China.
Senna strives to continually broaden his horizons and expand his work.
Inspired by the impromptu “knowledge classes” local artists would
conduct in his pop-up store during college, Senna’s next project,
“Goodfolk,” was developed alongside his girlfriend Anny, and is
comprised of a social media video series where he interviews the many
talented artists, musicians, and craftspeople he encounters. Senna
hopes these pieces of wisdom and expertise will help young artists
grow into their own, much as he was encouraged to do during his time
at Kean. The series can be found on Instagram at @hellogoodfolk.
Senna also plans to grow his experience organically into new art forms,
such as film. Through the hundreds of hours of video footage he has
amassed during his worldwide adventures, Senna is developing a
documentary about his “Higher Learning” experience, with Common
on board as executive producer. “Good design tells a story,” Senna says,
“Good art tells a story. That’s the bloodline for me; storytelling. And I see
film as the ultimate storytelling platform.”
Whatever the medium for his art, Senna maintains a clear focus for his
work; “The ultimate goal is to create pieces and experiences that create
an emotion in the viewer,” he says. And there can be no question that,
time and again, he has succeeded in doing exactly that.
A
ir Jordan, the seminal footwear and clothing brand was
produced by Nike and created for the legendary Chicago
Bulls superstar Michael Jordan. Since its launch in 1984, the
multi-billion dollar line has grown beyond basketball into other
sports and lifestyle markets. Besides “His Airness,” signature faces of
the brand have included Yankees captain Derek Jeter, football great
Randy Moss and hip-hop star Drake.
The brand’s values were encapsulated in the iconic Jumpman
logo. The airborne slam dunk silhouette became synonymous
with achievement, triumph, flair, ego and victory and continues to
inspire kids to play harder and run faster (as well as to run out and
get the next pair as soon as they are on the market).
