We are all aware of Nissan, the Japanese car manufacturer, founded in 1933 in Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan. With a global presence and operations in six continents, Nissan produced the world’s first mass-produced 100% electric vehicle (the Nissan LEAF) in 2011. Nissan’s latest vehicle the ARIYA has allowed them to delve even deeper into electric vehicles, offering their first all-electric car since the release of the LEAF.
Neil Keating is a Liverpool-based graphic designer and illustrator who has worked with the likes of PlayStation, Dr. Martens and Deliveroo designing artwork for merchandise, murals, and public art in various sectors as well as working in the NFT space.
Neil’s next big venture has been collaborating with Nissan on the release of their latest car The Nissan ARIYA.
Five artists from across the UK were asked to draw images of the all-electric ARIYA within the city they were based in, these included London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. The artists were told to use their own design style to illustrate how the Nissan ARIYA would look within their given city. Billboards displayed the artwork in different cities but are also possible to visit in virtual reality in the Nissan Electrified Lab Metaverse. To create a unique and innovative way to explore the electric universe of the ARIYA, Nissan worked with a WebXR- enabled browser to develop a campaign that enables the public to enter the metaverse, generating an interactive & immersive art experience for individuals.
We assisted Neil in following the progression of his work, from paper, to digital and eventually to the metaverse in VR. We produced a video showing the process from start to finish intending to illustrate how the drawings and digital copies were made separately to produce the landscape in the metaverse.
Neil’s bold lines and abundance of colour bring his work to life and allows observers to feel like they are within his world before they enter the metaverse. The artwork captures landmarks across Liverpool, from the Liver buildings to Lime Street Station, and includes musical local music influences such as George Harrison.
The artwork produced has been showcased on large outdoor screens and billboards allowing viewers to enter Nissan’s metaspace to explore the work by scanning the QR code shown. Neil’s work has most recently been shown on the screen outside Liverpool Lime Street station, opposite St George’s Hall.
“This project has enabled people to experience my art and the Nissan ARIYA within the metaverse. Nissan have always been at the forefront of design & technology, so I’m really proud to have been a part of a new chapter in automobile history. Working with Nissan to push the boundaries of immersive design has been an amazing experience” – Neil Keating
You can view all artist artwork and visit the Nissan Electrified Lab in the metaverse here
Find out more about Nissan ARIYA here
Find out more about Neil Keating here
Words by Ailis Finn-Looby
