Designed on Surface: inspiring artists around the world to do great things

Melbourne, Sydney, Brussels, Hong Kong, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Tokyo, Shibuya, Lisbon, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Madrid, Taipei, Austin, New York, and Long Beach. Those are the 17 cities in 12 countries where, over the course of 5 weeks, local artists have created beautiful murals bringing new color to their communities – with the help of Microsoft Surface.

The Designed on Surface project is a collaboration with artists across the globe to create murals embodying the spirit of people who do great things and the places that inspire them. It’s a collection of high-tech and inspiring work by local artists; and we believe that this mix of art & technology is bringing communities together.

Each of these murals was created by a local graffiti artists drawing inspiration from our core theme of Do great things. The challenge was that each artist interpret this statement through the lens of their own work. The artists were encouraged to draw upon the people, places, and things that they find inspirational. Every mural can be identified by a blue border, but beneath the surface each artist used the latest devices from Microsoft to enhance their creative process. The Artists included Persue, Odeith, Wonderlust, Frankie Cihi, Ink and Clog, Jasper Wong, and many more.

We are excited to partner with Jasper Wong, the co-founder of POW! WOW! – a global network of artists who organize gallery shows, schools for art and music, and a creative space named Lana Lane Studios in Honolulu.

“I think one thing you should do is try more things and take more risks. Don’t paint yourself in a corner.”
Jasper Wong

Partnering with muralists around the globe, we get a glimpse into this changing world of untethered creativity. Surface sits right at the sweet spot, bringing the power of amazing creative programs everyone knows and loves together with hardware that frees the artist from the studio.

Using Surface, creators are able to collaborate with the people (and in the places) that inspire them most, using precision tools like Surface Pen, or the natural input of touch.

“With something as large as this, you run a great risk of putting stuff in the wrong place, by using the Surface and projecting it makes things way more seamless.”
Mr. Persue

We have had the chance to speak with many artists over the past months and one thing is clear, beyond direct pen input the most important tool for an artist is the software application he or she uses. With Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book artists have both a powerful and mobile solution in their hands. This enables creators to work wherever creativity strikes.

What sets Microsoft Surface apart from the rest is the ability to run resource intensive creative applications like Adobe Creative Cloud, Manga Studio, and even AutoCAD on a super mobile and light device. Drawing directly on the screen with a pressure sensitive pen removes barriers for the artist and allows for a natural flow of ideas.

Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 both embody the belief that Surface is a catalyst, a tool in the artists’ kit, so they can achieve great things. Surface is used every day to create amazing photos, videos, and music.

We want to invite you to head on over to http://www.surface.com/art to see all the artworks from the global Designed on Surface project and explore the stories, pieces, and ideas from our artist partners around the world.