Aku
FKB fabricated and assembled a larger-than-life-size replica of “the world’s first digital explorer.”
NYC & Philadephia
Spring/Summer 2022
Inspired after overhearing a 7-year-old boy asking his mom, “Can astronauts be Black?” former MLB player turned artist Micah Johnson created the world’s first digital explore, Aku, an NFT character that’s come to represent an entire movement empowering young Black people to follow their dreams. In early 2022, Johnson envisioned AKU coming to the streets of New York City and Philadelphia, and FKB helped bring that dream to life by fabricating and assembling a life-sized replica of this famous character.
In order to recreate this iconic digital avatar, FKB started by designing the internal steel structure and embedding it within the overall model for Aku. Our team broke up pieces of the sculpture into logical sizes that would maximize the resolution of detailing and our precision in bringing all elements of Aku to life.
The hands, rocket, and backpack were 3D printed through an iterative process, and the rest of Aku was constructed by CNC milling foam around the steel internal structure and then covering it in a shell coating.
After assembly, FKB refined the details of the CNC foam and 3D-printed parts before making final preparations for finishing and painting, which was completed by Archetype Painting Studio in Philadelphia.
Installed for one week only as part of NFT.NYC at Pier 11 in New York City, the AKU sculpture now stands as a beacon in Philadelphia’s Spruce Street Harbor Park. Guests can visit the park and interact with a QR code at the base of the Aku installation to unlock a unique Augmented Reality experience that further merges the digital and physical worlds.
What People Are Saying
“I wanted to present him in a way that he’s welcoming others into the world that gave him this incredible platform to begin his journey…”
“The Story Behind TIME’s Metaverse Cover” — TIME