Everyone has an object with a story.
What makes this object valuable is the narrative wrapped up in it, and the memory it evokes from the owner. The object that stands as my symbol of memory are my shoes, for they serve as a representation of where I stood at a certain point in time. Through archiving and documenting shoes in different stages, it became apparent to me that shoes carry complex human narratives, for they grow and change just as frequently as individuals do. These shoes serve as miniature memoirs that give insight into individual’s life experiences and what makes them “them”. The power of archiving, recalling, and reflecting is a profound process and my body of work gives this process a form. My body of work uses the art of storytelling to highlight that the past matters, and attempts to unify individuals to bond over their shared experiences with their shoes. My body of work uses the shoe as a marker of time, to highlight the stories and memories created while wearing them. The goal is to present distant memories of shoes in a way that provokes storytelling and human narrative. This thesis gives form to complex stories of the human experience through the form of shoes, by using motion graphics, video, collage and print design. These projects uncover that shoes hold memories that can be collected, and can also be remixed to create something new. Shoes carry memories and meanings that walk with us through life, and ground us in who we truly are.
