“ All I can think about are shoes.
I am overwhelmed by shoes.
I see shoes everywhere, every time.
Shoes, shoes, and eventually, some
more shoes. All types of shoes, from
textures to sizes, materials to qualities.
And they make this sound that I find
as fascinating as annoying.
Because all I hear are shoes.
Shoes drifting around, shoes walking,
shoes sliding, shoes running,
shoes jumping, shoes dancing.
But what are shoes?
Do shoes have such a human existence? ”
The A Thousand Shoes residency emerged from the desire to extend the life of one thousand unworn shoes that
have been ageing in confinement for the past 20 years. It evokes the discarded piles of shoes fashion brands
cast aside every season. The practice research project encourages the exploration of these shoes as bodies of rhythms that exist beyond their function, and outside of confined shoes boxes. By challenging their relationship with the human body and the physical space, each shoe comes into being as a moment of art, instead of an object of art, merging the
languages of fine art, performing arts and fashion.
The study of the relationship between different types of shoes, from different sizes to different materials and
textures, and various physical and political environments, have become quite intrinsic to this practice research.
Indoor and outdoor spaces were explored as they enabled an in-depth approach of shoes as something more
than a foot covering, enabling them to be a performative element, rather than a representative one.
Elements of quantity and materiality worked together as raw materials were added to the one thousand shoes,
unfolding new points of experimentation. Such materials consisted on soil, rocks, sand, sea, water and seaweed,
establishing a profound connection between nature, sustainability and the residency itself. Shoes perform
accordingly to their ground, which required that elements of gravity, weight, balance, stability and movement
were constantly challenged and adapted. The presence of these raw materials also meant that each shoe
performed individually, being its materiality, composition, colour, texture and smoothness affected, becoming a
research focus.
The boundaries between private and public spaces were also challenged as the shoes were transported to
public natural environments, resulting in a interdependent relationship between the artwork and the surrounding
context, where the concept of ownership became blurred.
As well as being both an environmental and political residency, a social practice was also approached. From
acquiring the five-hundred pairs of shoes, to finding a physical space where the project was initially based, the
One Thousand Shoes residency established links between different fields by collaborating with diverse artists,
organisations and brands and connecting to a community where the remaining shoes were given another life.
The residency was founded under the artistic and creative direction of the visual and performer artist Carlota dos Santos.
Special thanks to:
PROF shoes store, for kindly donating 500 pairs of outdated shoes, making this project possible;
St Luke’s Community Centre, for the generous space rent, the support while in residency and for keeping the numerous amount of shoes for charity;
Sara Gil, for her great participation in ENTRE live performance, that took place on May 4th of 2021 at Haggerston Park, in London, as part of the residency;
Beier Xie, Farrah Li, Lean Lui and Shou-An Chiang, for the incredible documentation throughout the residency;
Ana Luiza Rodrigues, Beier Xie, Evie Webzell, Farrah Li, Isabella Benshimol Toro, Jenny Klein, Lean Lui, Leanne Wiggers, Nefeli Kentoni, Sara Gil, Shou-An Chiang, Zib Liu, for getting involved in the A Thousand Shoes exchange movement;
Catarina Silva, for helping with the video edition;
Rita Buiça, for co-designing the website alongside me and doing its development.