Ryan Gander’s Puzzle Box for Nike Flyknit

The original Japanese puzzle box once served as a way for craftsmen to keep their tools safe in the Edo Period. Gander, who is known for his challenging installations and sculptures that force a viewer to decipher their logic, created a version that features numbered inlays inspired by 13th-century Italian scholar Leonardo Fibonacci’s famous series of integers — each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers.

Unlocking the box’s intricate layers requires a great effort, but once the pattern is clear, it becomes simple to unravel. Gander and Flyknit chose to incorporate this particular number sequence as many compare Fibonnaci’s sequence to the mathematical organization of nature. Similarly, the natural woods and materials Gander used in developing the box, combined with the philosophical concepts required to penetrate it, reference the Flyknit effort to create innovative footwear.