One of the seemingly more unconventional ways car companies get the word out about their cars is to hand a few over to the art community. Everyone from Scion to BMW have seen their fare turned into literal rolling masterpieces, and while we don't know if this is at all an effective means of marketing, it sure results in some interesting-looking vehicles.

Kia is just the latest to support the arts, teaming with Antenna Magazine to present Soul Xpression, an exhibition showcasing a unique merging of style leaders and trailblazers from the worlds of music, fashion and technology. Partners in the project include etnies, Huf, Original Penguin, Smart Design, DJ Whoo Kid, Todd Schmidt and surf brand In4mation - all of whom designed custom Kia Souls, eight cars in total.

So far the Antenna Soul is the only version from the program to come to fruition, and as such will be headed to Kia's booth at the SEMA Show this week in Las Vegas. The Antenna five-door mini-CUV was unveiled at New York Fashion Week and had a launch party hosted by Kid Cudi. The car includes a pop-up shop of the latest exclusive fashion and kicks, a Cone Denim and Rufus shirting interior, custom skateboard embedded in the roof liner, refrigerator in the back seat, a baby blue and brown custom paint scheme, and tech goodies galore.

Lux Motorwerks painted the exterior a custom baby blue. MRR 20-inch wheels were paired with Nitto Tires and a lowered suspension. The roof and wheels were painted matte brown, as were the grill's trim, side vents, and custom-made exhaust, a hue that ties in with the leather of the interior. The Antenna Soul would not be complete without the rooftop snowboard rack, which holds a custom board by Revolution, designed by us. The headlights, taillights, and side markers were tinted and the brake calipers painted baby blue to match everything else.

Antenna installed a motorized shelving display in the trunk that raises and lowers at the touch of a button. The shelves disappear into a custom leather-wrapped box with accents and trim that match other details in the car. The shelves, complete with LED nighttime lighting, hold an array of products.

Antenna turned the speaker port into a clock using a G-Shock and illuminated the fitment surrounding it. Since we all know the importance of the latest gadgets, we fiberglassed the center console with custom molds for an iPod touch, Flip Video, BlackBerry Pearl, and HP Netbook. A portable TomTom allows for a quick transition from car to another set of wheels, be it skate deck or bike. And because not one detail was left untouched, the console was wrapped in chocolate leather from Mood Fabrics.

Heavily inspired by skate brands Huf and etnies, we lined the interior in denim and installed skateboard trucks for handles on both sides. And what better place than the headliner to attach a custom-made skate deck by Revolution, designed by Antenna, specifically for the Kia Soul.

Wrapped in chocolate leather with denim inserts to match the seats, plexiglass and LED lighting transform the handles into custom holders for storing necessities. In our case, jelly beans and zipper pulls.

A Memphis Car Audio amp was installed in the headliner along with a Memphis subwoofer in the trunk and tweeters on the dash. An Eclipse head unit powers the sound system with a removable faceplate, GPS, DVD, and Bluetooth.

The front seats were reupholstered in Cone denim, Rufus shirting, and chocolate leather from Mood Fabrics. The backs of the driver and passenger seats were leather wrapped and fitted with Sony PSP Slims affixed via a custom LED-illuminated mounting system. The back seats were converted to upholstered bucket seats to match the front.

A couple other Souls that caught our eye came from artist and photographer Todd Schmidt. Schmidt grew up motorcycling the west deserts of Utah, mountain biking Moab's world famous trails, skiing the backcountry, piloting a hand-built plane, and sailing mountain lakes on his Hobie 16-footer. Schmidt's design philosophy is to design with purpose, restraint and to respect what is visually pleasing.

When asked to reveal his Soul Xpression, Schmidt took the outdoors to heart and designed both a Rally and Roadster version. With the rally, he wanted to give the Kia Soul the means to take occupants anywhere, be it on or off the pavement. He gave it a carbon-fiber hood, OZ Racing wheels, and a go-anywhere gusto.

With the Roadster, he went for a sleeker look inspired by a night out in the city meant to turn heads. In both cars, all parts deliberately have both form and function, like a Swiss watch.

Antenna and Kia Motors are now inviting others to participate in creating a vehicle which expresses individuality and vision through Soul Xpression. Tell them what individuality and self-expression mean to you in words, art or design.

To enter, you have to download the image of a Kia Soul at www.antennamag.com/kia/index.html and render it to be your Soul Xpression. If words are your thing, there's a text box on the linked page to fill in.

All entries will be reviewed with the Grand Prize winner receiving $1,000 and runner-up winners receiving limited-edition collectible merchandise. For more details, hit up www.antennamag.com/kia/index.html.

If you're headed to the SEMA Show next week, the Tuner project Z will be making its grand entrance at the SPEC Clutches and Flywheels booth (#24523) in its modified, yet design-free form (with the exception of sponsor decals). Contest details are at blogs.importtuner.com/6571708/editorials/digital-art-becomes-reality/index.html, while updated info and pics on the project can be sourced at www.importtuner.com. For info on Forza Motorsport 3, click www.forzamotorsport.net.