AHEAD of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Nike introduced a new inclusion to its global network of courts, unveiling a new athletic space called “The Courtyard” on Aug. 6 in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig.
The artistic design featured in the expansive 2,182-square-meter sports complex is the creative concept of Keifer “Kiefsix” Indiongco, a graduate of the College of Fine Arts and Design, who was tapped by a Nike advertising collaborator based in Singapore in February with the intention of infusing the courts with vibrancy through the application of paint.
The Courtyard consists of two FIBA-standard basketball courts, which are built using rubber obtained from the outsoles of around 30,000 repurposed shoes referred to as “Nike Grind.”
The basketball courts stand out in contrast to the monotonous gray of the business district. They display a collection of lively, flowing patterns that take inspiration from the cultural motifs of indigenous tribes like the Ifugao, Maranao, and Tausug.
Indiongco said that his approach to designing The Courtyard involved embracing simplicity while radiating a unique local atmosphere that mirrors the essence of basketball courts in the Philippines.
“We tend to identify too much with the main colors of the Philippine flag like blue, red, yellow, and white,” he told the Varsitarian. “I wanted to introduce new colors for Filipinos. As you can see, it’s very vibrant. The art style uses tones and gradients. I really wanted to reintroduce that. That was my challenge with Nike Courtyard: to introduce new local colors. I call that fluidity.”
Indiongco’s achievement with the 2022 Hennessy X NBA court initiative, a different pop-up court situated in BGC, led to his involvement in The Courtyard project.
As a youngster who adored basketball and looked up to Kobe Bryant, Indiongco used to dream of making it to the UAAP. Standing at 5-foot-7, he never had the opportunity to pursue that path.
After teaming up with Nike, he came to the realization that his dream had indeed materialized, albeit in a different way.
“It’s like my frustrated basketball dreams turned into a creative outlet,” he said.
As part of his partnership with the brand, he was also involved in creating a mural that will be revealed soon. The mural aligns with the brand’s ongoing initiative to empower women in basketball, an advocacy that Idiongco fervently champions, drawing inspiration from the “Black Mamba” and his advocacy for women’s basketball.
“I’m a believer in the future of basketball through women and children,” Indiongco said. with reports from Fernando Pierre Marcel B. de la Cruz
