'Killer Heels' exhibition held in New York
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E-mail CNTV, September 10, 2014
A new exhibition in New York examines the love affair women have had over the centuries for killer heels. From platform shoes made in the 1600s to modern day stilettos, the Killer Heels collection uncovers the mystique of designer footwear.
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A new exhibition in New York examines the love affair women have had over the centuries for killer heels. |
Killer Heels - the title says it all.
It's the name of a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in New York that looks at the elevated shoe as a design object. From platforms dating to about 1600 to a contemporary lethal 8-inch dagger stiletto, there's even a gravity-defying skyscraper platform embraced by Lady Gaga. There are triangle and ball-shaped heels, twisted, curled, trapezoidal and even furry variations.
By and large, design trumps comfort in these 178 creations.
"My goal was to bring together a group of historical and contemporary high heel shoes that spoke to all the amazing designs that we have seen over centuries. We have a lot of moments where we have shoes that are from the last couple of years juxtaposed with shoes from the 18th century," Brooklyn Musuem curator Lisa Small said.
The exhibition is arranged into six themes including Revival and Reinterpretation, Glamour and Fetish and Space Walk. Contemporary designs are juxtaposed with earlier iterations to show the relationship across time and cultures.
One standout in the show, if only because of its bizarre concept, is a Japanese design created after the Fukushima nuclear accident.
"It contains seeds of the plant that have properties that. The idea being that the plant will grow and help repair the soil," Lisa Small said.
Among the historical pieces is an elaborate wood sandal worn by women in bathhouses of the Ottoman Empire to keep their feet high above the wet floors.
There are sensible heels too, including 18th-century slippers worn by aristocratic women that are beautifully embroidered or done in brocade fabric.
Lisa Small hopes that people can come away with the idea that these high heels aren't just a regular part of a person's outfit but represent a piece of history.
"Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe" opens Wednesday and runs through February 15th.
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