Shoe Workshops

Shoes cover and protect our feet when we walk. Shoes hold the memory of where we have walked, run or skipped. The shoes get worn and take on the shape and imprint of the feet. They can be the object of desire, of erotic fantasies.

High heels had the effect of underlining vulnerability yet at the same time demonstrated that the shoe could be a weapon and a means of keeping men 'under the heel' of a dominant woman.

Jenni Dutton offers workshops for adults and children developed from her own experiences making shoe sculptures. The day will be spent constructing a shoe from a variety of starting points. The shoe may express our alter ego, or it may record a walk through time. or by just playing with ideas the imagination will make up a different story for the shoe. I have also used the theme of food or we have made the shoe a fictional character.

We can use and recycle existing shoes, add aluminium wire, modroc and a vast array of decorative materials. Participants will be asked to bring with them a selection of old shoes and any bric-a-brac, discarded fabrics, postcards, photos, anything of a personal nature, feathers, shells, buttons etc. I provide mod-roc, wire an additional selection of old shoes and decorative bits, glass etc.

This workshop is suitable for those with little experience of 3D work and can be or a day or more.

The following images show examples of recent workshops and shoes made by school students.