history of the nike e-mails.

shey.net takes an unusual approach to the task of internet based art. the website follows the storyline of a series of emails sent from Jonah H. Peretti to a part of the huge corporation, Nike. Apparently at some point in 2001, Nike made available a series of shoes that could be personalized by individuals by letting people print their own slogans on the shoes they ordered. Jonah H. Peretti, in the true spirit of rebellion, tried to have a series of Nike shoes processed that had the word "sweatshop" written on the side of them. The website is a series of emails resulting from Jonah H. Peretti being refused. The fact that an email could cause a global sensation is in a sense art itself. The website is a showcase for what transpired when one man told a joke. Jonah H. Peretti was refused an order and Nike politely refused is a simple and bland story on the outside but when a company is faced with a truth about it's immoral policies and is forced to bury it's head in the sand to avoid it's own follies a simple email transcends the mundane and in a fashion, becomes art.