The majestic landscapes of Tenerife’s Poris Desert – located on the volcanic southwestern coastline of the Canary Island – provide the backdrop for the latest work by South African land artist Strijdom van der Merwe. Recalling ancient standing stone circles, the 50m loop, etched into the land and dotted with rocks, is constructed as a trail-running loop for those athletes – both professional and amateur – who find themselves on the island, which has long attracted runners thanks to its temperate climate and rapid elevation changes.
The work was commissioned by the Swiss activewear brand On, best-known for its honeycomb-shaped ‘CloudTec’ soles, designed to make the wearer feel like they are running on clouds. Conceived to stand in the location until it is weathered and worn by time, it provides the setting for the latest edition in On’s long-running collaboration with Post Archive Faction (PAF), a Korean brand with an avant-garde approach to sportswear (garments often have a futuristic feel and intriguing pattern-cutting). Each ‘chapter’ of the collaboration has been titled ‘Current Form’, with the latest ‘Current Form 5.0’.
‘I first came across Strijdom’s work through PAF’s co-founder and creative director, Dongjoon Lim, and his team,’ Lucy Delacherois Day, On’s global senior director of product, tells Wallpaper*. ‘What really stayed with me was the way he works with the landscape rather than simply placing an artwork in it. The materials he finds, the geometry he introduces and the natural environment all become part of the work.’
‘At first I approached the project like any other large-scale land artwork,’ adds van der Merwe, who has created award-winning works in water, wood, rocks and stone, with minimal intervention to the environment. ‘Nature determines the material, the location and the outcome. After working closely with the On team, I focused on blending my own artistic values with theirs. I had to adapt to the brief without compromising my practice, and ultimately, it became a beautiful partnership between the freedom of working in nature and On’s focus on innovation and design.’
At the centre of ‘Current Form 5.0’ is a new version of the Cloudsoma trail-running shoe (available 3 September 2026 at on.com) its design drawing on the contours of rock formations. ‘It has a very clear visual identity – the swirling lines, asymmetric lacing and almost geological patterning,’ says Delacherois Day. ‘The abrasion-resistant, quick-drying upper is built to be used; CloudTec Connect allows the shoe to move naturally with the foot; and Missiongrip provides traction as the terrain changes. That’s the sweet spot for us: a product with a strong point of view that still earns its place through performance.’
‘In nature, rocks may look as though they have been placed randomly, yet together they create a balance that feels precise and sophisticated,’ says Dongjoon Lim of PAF. ‘The collection began with rocks I encountered while hiking in the Engadin region in Switzerland. I wanted the shoes to carry some of their ruggedness – their chaotic but beautiful forms, while still communicating movement and function.
‘I do not think of the five collections as a perfectly completed circle,’ he continues. ‘I focused on placing each point carefully and finding meaningful ways to connect them; only in retrospect do those points begin to resemble a circle. For me, an archive works in a similar way. It preserves what has already happened, but it also creates the foundation for what comes next. The legacy of the collaboration would be for people to remember how we brought nature, movement and technical function into conversation – and to see the end of this journey as the beginning of another.’
Current Form 5.0 launches on 3 September 2026, through on on.com, postarchivefaction.com, and select retail partners.