I am developing my concept of footwear as art, to be seen symbolically from a fresh perspective, with the counterintuitive use of lead as my primary medium.
I work with lead for its malleability, its archetypal and psychological resonance, its danger, weight, beauty, its protective qualities, its recyclability, its permanence. Using mostly traditional shoemaking techniques, I create a plaster last, draft an upper pattern in paper, cut and often sew parts by hand. Soles are cut/shaped from lead and/or wood.
I aim to expose the inherent contradictions of the fashion industry in our extravagant, consumerist lifestyle which has been shown to make “a sizeable contribution to climate change” (McKinsey Global Institute), literally weighing us down in so many ways.
Medieval alchemists, saw lead with its dark and secret nature, both hostile and a purifier, viewed all things as embodied with spirit. They tried to transform lead into gold, while art can transform the ordinary into the sublime.