With our attempts to cultivate nature, humankind causes the rising of a next nature, which is wild and unpredictable as ever. Wild systems, genetic surprises, autonomous machinery and splendidly beautiful black flowers. Nature changes along with us.
Rayfish Footwear is a fictional company that offered personalized sneakers crafted from genetically modified stingray leather. The launch of the company catalyzed a debate on emerging biotechnologies and the products it may bring us. It furthermore questioned our consumptive relationship with animals and products in general. While such discussions often remain abstract, we aimed to make them tangible in a concrete product you can love or hate.
The rise and fall of Rayfish Footwear took place within a period of seven months. The story began with the launch of the corporate website, commercial, CEO lecture and online design tool. The startup immediately received significant media attention and seemed bound for success, however, there were also critical petitions against the company’s instrumental use of animals.
While almost ten thousand people had designed their own fish sneaker, animal rights activists broke into the company and released all the fishes in the ocean. The CEO of the company, Raymond Ong, responded with a passionate video statement through which he stirred further debate on our estranged relationship with products in a globalized world.
While Rayfish was struggling finding new investors, the escaped fishes where out in the open and started appearing into video’s of tourists and fishermen. The story ended with the bankruptcy of Rayfish, after which the true objective of the company was revealed and the ‘making of video’ was released.
“The Rise and Fall of Rayfish” making of documentary gives an overview of the entire project, its impact and the motivation of the makers. Watch this first.
1. RAYFISH FOOTWEAR COMMERCIAL
From Sea to Street. The company presented itself with an online commercial showing the transformation from fish to shoe.
2. CEO LECTURE – HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN SNEAKER
At the Next Nature Power Show 2011, Rayfish CEO Raymond Ong (portrayed by Carlo Scheldwacht) lectured on his innovative business model. By remixes the beauty & variety of nature into something nature could not have imagined.
3. WINNER MOVIES
Soon after the design tool was launched, various short youtube videos of people who had won a pair of rayfish sneakers, started appearing online
4. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST BREAK-IN AT RAYFISH
Sunday, August 12, at approximately 3AM, activists broke into the headquarters of Rayfish Footwear, destroying lab equipment and sneakers, and stealing numerous living stingrays. A video uploaded by the perpetrators on YouTube depicts masked men removing stingrays from the Rayfish aquaculture facility and releasing the animals into the nearby ocean.
5. RAYMOND RESPONDS
Three days after the ‘break-in’ in the Rayfish facility, CEO Raymond Ong responded with a passionate statement that gained much sympathy.
6. URBAN LEGEND
After having escaped from the Rayfish Footwear Facility, Strange Stingrays started appearing in video’s by tourists and local fishermen. Above an example of a strange ‘Nemo’ Stingray spotted by a scuba diver.
Seven highly exclusive prototypes of Stingray leather sneakers were created in collaboration with Dutch Shoe designer Jan Jansen. The stingray skins were provided by Roye Exotic Leather. The leather of the shoes has not genetically modified, but dyed with paint.
A DVD of “The Rise and Fall of Rayfish Footwear” + bonus material of the various audiovisual elements of the project is available in our webstore.
Want to write about the rise and fall of Rayfish Footwear? Journalists can download the rayfish presskit containing images, texts and video material on the project.