Redefining the Ultimate "Mac" Book

How a rare Mac Art book inspired HIDDEN's Tokyo pop-up.

In January 1986, Michael Green published the book Zen & The Art of the Macintosh: Discoveries on the Path to Computer Enlightenment. It has since become a cult classic, and copies of the rare tome can still fetch a hefty price.

The book itself was entirely created on the MacPaint program, an early precursor and very rudimentary digital art tool that predates its PC counterpart, Microsoft Paint, by a year. Even more impressive, the increasingly complex graphics and layout, which has the aesthetic of evolved ASCII art, was turned into a book via printing through a Macintosh LaserWriter .

The book was further honored with the “Desktop Publisher of the Year” award in the January 1987 issue of MacUser magazine. Who called it an “unusual book” but also a “tour de force of MacPaint technique.” The award was presented to Green by none other than Steve Jobs himself.

Its pages juxtapose forward-thinking graphic design with inspiring notions about creativity and layouts that toe the line between an edgy, independent zine and the kind of avant-garde design aesthetics favored by tasteful types today.

Green’s seminal tome turns 40 this year, and it has inspired the story behind the Tokyo pop-up between HIDDEN and ASICS. Titled “Zen and the Art of Movement,” the shop takes place this weekend, May 23-24, from 12 noon until 7 p.m. each day.

The shop is located in the SO1 venue in Shibuya, and not only features ultra-exclusive items, but an interactive exhibit featuring various Macintosh items, including a 1986 copy of Zen & The Art of the Macintosh, as well as the MacUser magazine award the book won.

What’s more, HIDDEN is republishing a small run of the rare book, allowing attendees to bring home the cult classic and appreciate it themselves. The release coincides with the equally limited HIDDEN x ASICS GEL-KINETIC™ 2.0, inspired by the original Macintosh computer used by Michael Green while creating Zen & The Art of the Macintosh.

Limited to 200 pairs, the predominantly neutral color palette pulls from the soft grays, aged ivories, and subtle brown tones synonymous with early Macintosh hardware, informing the upper’s mesh, overlays, sole, and custom packaging.

Other key details on the shoe like the graphic insoles and knowing visual nods to both ASICS and Michael Green’s revolutionary computer art inform the uniform and aesthetic of the pop-up, with plenty more easter eggs to discover in-person, should you be in Tokyo.

HIDDEN x ASICS “Zen and the Art of Movement” Tokyo Pop-Up
May 23–24
12:00–19:00
SO1 Gallery
6-14-15 Jingumae, Shibuya
Tokyo 150-0001, Japan