Learning Agreement 4
L E A R N I N G A G R E E M E N T
Project Proposal
Name
Debbie Buxton
MA Course
MA Ceramics
Date
09.01.24
Version Number
6
Project Title / Research Question
“What comes after the fuck-me shoe?
Proposed study / What? (100 word limit)
Give a brief description of your proposed study.
“What comes after the fuck-me shoe? The don’t fuck with me shoe.” (Persson, 2015)
The “fuck-me shoe” produces a sexual allure, while the “don’t fuck with me shoe” inhabits a shift towards independence.
Shoes make women appear more seductive and attractive. They raise a woman’s stature, her movements are accentuated, and her curves provocative. The "don't fuck with me shoe" suggests a style that communicates strength, self-assurance, and a refusal to be dominated by others.
Therefore, I think the high heel is both seductive and empowering.
Rationale / Why? (100 word limit)
State the reasons behind your proposed study, including how it relates to the subject area and previous work in the field. You should include references to support your reasons.
“The erotic aspects of footwear can be an empowering expression of sexuality or can identify wearer as a passive source of pleasure” (Persson, 2015)
I want through ceramic sculpture to challenge double standards around high heeled shoes and the potential associated misogyny that surrounds them.
Therefore, I am exploring how high heels have empowered women through the influence of feminism and ‘girl power.’ I find sculptural forms made from ceramics takes up space. Therefore, empowering messages can be emboldened onto said medium to accentuate the attractive nature of high heels and the strength of the high heel.
Aim & Objectives (200 word limit)
Clearly state the principal aim of the study. You are advised to state a single aim if possible. Then state the main objectives that need to be achieved in order to meet the aim.
Aim:
Alone, the slim heel holds itself, it’s attractive, and empowering – people will be attracted to the form. Therefore, by including feminist messages onto said high heels, there is a possibly of showcasing the conundrum of being a woman.
Main objectives:
Develop heels which embody empowerment/elegance, maintaining its form as attractive.
Incorporate feminist slogans onto the design – subtly through stitching or boldly across the shoe.
Balance the traditional feminine high heel with messages of strength – showcasing how femininity can also represent power.
Design the heels to appear functional, addressing the choice between style and discomfort.
Promote gender equality by designing the high heel with contemporary feminist movements.
Allow the sculptures of high heels to solidify personal feminist beliefs, reclaim identity, be a tool of self-expression, and the representation of the complexities of being a woman today.
Plan / How? (250 word limit)
· I plan to experiment with the extruder using dies that have a variety of shoe shapes to create extruded shoe shapes in different clays.
· Using a slip mould of a second hand shoe I will create shoes and experiment with the shape and form creating new sculptural forms.
· I will experiment with different surface decoration to include decals, lustres, glazes, underglaze and slips
· I will experiment with slab building to create shoes
· I will explore using different clays particularly porcelain
· I will experiment with different slips to create shoes to include porcelain and white earthenware
· I will explore dipping material in slip then firing the shoe shape created.
· I will make a number of slip cast mould shoes and explore arranging them to create different shapes and forms
· Create press moulds from plaster
· I will create pairs of shoes.
· Research artists who have been influenced by sexualisation , double standards and female empowerment.
· Visit the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Northampton shoe museum
Intended Outcomes of Project / What - solution? (100 word limit)
State your proposed outcomes and the new contribution it may add to previous work in the field.
Through the creation of the ceramic high heeled shoe I aim to challenge misogynistic views by incorporating empowering messages or bold statements directly onto the shoes so they are billboards for feminism and autonomy thus reframing high heels from objects of sexualisation into tools of empowerment and defiance. The sculptures will hopefully generate meaningful discussions, provoking controversy, and potentially contribute to the feminist art movement.
“shoes equal sex”(Persson, 2015)
References
(Persson, 2015)
PERSSON, H. 2015. Shoes: pleasure & pain. (No Title).
STROM, M. 2023. I can’t believe I still have to protest this shit, maxstrom.
Sandra Lane
I plan to explore in more depth different ceramic artists who have created ceramic shoe designs. Sandra Lane is interested in in-between feelings of ambivalence, optimism and failure and works these feelings into multiple forms. The placing of these objects, their combinations, the contrast between material shapes and colours are all important. Memories pop up with clarity and appear as more precise elements.
Fivefeet
Dimensions:Various, from 1.2mx34cmx20cm
Medium:Calico, plaster, glazed earthenware
Rococco
Dimensions:Shoe, 47cmx16cmx31cm
Medium:Glazed and painted ceramics
Walking Shoes
Dimensions:Various , from 2mx1m
Medium:Ceramic, plaster, steel, latex, foam, pigment
Didi Rojas is known for ceramic footwear sculptures. She feels that shoes are vessels that carry people through the world and are self portraits of their wearers. Her work aims to tackle the significance that people place on society driven by consumerism. Rojas has shown her work nationally in galleries, fairs, and museums, and has collaborated with established brands including Adidas and Gucci.
Paloma Proudfoot
Paloma Proudfoot works within a variety of media, including sculpture, clothes making, text and performance, drawing together personal narratives, historical research and contemporary references.
Proudfoot’s work often evokes an uneasy paradox between the human body and its artificial double, exploring the gendered history of fields such as medical anatomical models, shop window mannequins and tailoring. Informed by her background in clothes making, Proudfoot’s artistic process mirrors flat pattern-cutting, initially working with paper templates before realising the work in glazed ceramic, glass, metal and textiles.
Juxtaposing the idiosyncrasies of these craft techniques with the hard-edged rhythms of factory production and intricate biomorphic forms, Proudfoot’s work produces an uncanny realisation of the limits and vulnerabilities of the human body. Seeking to articulate amorphous feelings of shame, grief and strength, she delves into the metaphorical and narrative potential of materials.
Laced
2023
Ambrosia IV
2023
Alison Swan
Alison finds inspiration. from fine art to folk art and from classic novels and contemporary fiction to fairy tales. She is best know for her ceramic shoes. She states that Shoes have had a strong ethnographical, historical and cultural significance throughout history and continue to exert a hold over us. As in fairy stories and tales of old they seem to offer the possibility of transformation – the notion that by owning them and / or wearing them we can somehow become something ‘other’. This holds endless possibilities in terms of creativity and imagination. These pieces are often inspired by nursery rhymes, poetry, song lyrics or other literary quotes.
'Reap only what you saw'- Ceramic Shoes(Stoneware clay with oxides and glaze).
Jenny Stolzenberg
The seventy pairs of ceramic shoes that make up the exhibition Shoes of Memory: Holocaust Ceramic Work by Jenny Stolzenberg, evoke the memory of those who were lost in a concrete and tangible way. In addition to the ceramic shoes, images of the piles of shoes, clothing, hair, glasses and suitcases found in the warehouses of Auschwitz at liberation represent the absence of the millions of people who perished in the Holocaust.
Meticulously researched and rendered in clay, Stolzenberg’s shoes return a sense of identity to the victims of the Holocaust by rescuing the shoes from their anonymity in the piles at Auschwitz.
The exhibit highlights the use of contemporary ceramics to address social justice issues and to explore the desire of second-generation artists to interpret the Holocaust and work through the traumatic history of their own survivor parents.
Stolzenberg’s piece titled, “Forgive But Do Not Forget,” forms the centrepiece of this exhibit. Her work has been widely exhibited in Great Britain and Europe, but had not previously been shown in North America.
Grayson Perry
I have enjoyed exploring Grayson Perry’s work and the way he incorporates a feminist theme into his ceramics. Perry’s work explores the themes of gender fluidity and feminism throughout his work. Although he uses traditional methods to make his pots, he employs a range of techniques, such as embossing and photographic transfers, to create intricate, animated surfaces. Which is something I plan to explore through my own work using the shape and form of the shoe to explore themes of gender, identity and social expectations all of which intersect with the symbolism of shoes. Shoes, particularly when seen through the lens of fashion, femininity and gender norms, become a potential symbol in Perry’s larger commentary on the fluidity of gender and the ways in which societal expectations shape identity.
In Perry’s case, his use of ceramics and his shoes as symbolic objects become a playground for discussion, playfulness and empowerment. I aim through my work to provoke discussions from the viewer around traditional boundaries and the impact it has on women. Perry invites viewers to question the traditional boundaries of gender expression by making shoes (and the roles they play) as part of his broader feminist and social critique. One of his famous works involving ceramics includes a painting of high heeled shoes which featured in his exhibition “Grayson Perry:The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever (2018).
Ali Hval
Haval is currently a lecturer at he University of Iowa City. Her work merges ceramics, fabric, installation and painting. The forms and materials she uses reflect her interest in adornment and the relentless critique and polarisation of the body. Her work is pink and coated in glistening rhinestones, feathery pom-poms and cane-coloured fabrics. Through her work she wants to challenge women to recognise what feminists have done for them and accept themselves as the kind of person they want to be.
I aim to explore through my work the societal double standards and the norms about what women “should” or “should not wear” wear.
Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong
Armstrong is a ceramic artist whose sculptures have a modern aesthetic that links fine art with craft. She has developed a signature technique of building black and white porcelain ceramic sculptures to look delicately stitched together. She examines issues relating to feminism past, present and future, exploring the causes of gender based violence and inequality from a personal and global perspective. Some of her sculptures and installations are confrontational with the intent to inspire curiosity, thought and dialogue, to raise awareness, and incite positive action. Her work really resonates with me and I hope that my work will inspire discussion and challenge misogyny .
Soul sister
Fade away
paper dolls
unfair trade
the future
Northampton Shoe Museum
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery is home to one of the largest collections of shoes and shoe heritage in the world. Arts Council England designates the collection as being of local, national and international importance.
The collection's strength lies in its very broad range, from ancient Egypt to the latest fashions, from workwear to high-end designer creations and from Northamptonshire-made shoes to footwear from around the world. The shoes are defined by the people that wear them.
The history of shoe and fashions is explored in the Western world from 5330 BC to the present day. They are symbols of fashion and objects of beauty. I noticed that some shoe styles had certain key characteristics that keep returning. Designers and makers have created endless variations of the same style over many centuries-often in response to new materials and technologies, changes in industry and even to world events.
The visit to the museum demonstrated to me that there is no simple way to design a shoe. Shoe designers start with a creative spark, whether the shoes are experimental, bespoke or intended for the mass market. But the shoe designs then have to be brought to life through a practical process to create a wearable product. This includes sketching the design, picking a last, choosing materials, cutting patterns and choosing accessories.
Skilled craftspeople made renowned Goodyear welted shoes in Northampton and Northamptonshire.
Shoe making starts with pattern cutting. The shoes then pass through various rooms including:
the clicking room where uppers are cut out
the closing room where the upper pieces are sewn together
the lasting room where the uppers are shaped on the last
the shoe room where the sole and heels are attached
the shoe room where shoes are hand-polished, checked, laced and boxed.
The whole process takes between two and threes months.
I was particularly interested in the components that go to make up a shoe and I plan to explore the meanings of each piece and what they represent. What messages can be conveyed by the outer of a shoe e.g if it is covered in diamonds or made of a plain brown leather. Equally what does the height of the heel convey to the viewer? Can you still be strong people and wear high heels or will it be interpreted that the wearer wants to attract sexual attention?
The trip to the museum allowed me to think about what the function of the shoe is and what it means to women. Its function can vary, depending on the context, personal preferences and the situation. It has a practical function to offer protection and support and to provide comfort.
The displays explored the areas of self expression and style and how shoes are an expression of our identity, show casing personal style, personality and taste. Are we influenced by advertising when we buy our shoes? I sometimes reflect on the shopping experience for shoes and what it means to me. Do I buy the shoes to match an outfit or does the outfit have to match the shoes? It is interesting that shoes are are marketed in a very sexualised way which is something I am going to explore through my work.
The Wearing, Identity, Sexuality section was very interesting and relevant to my learning agreement and area of work. I aim to explore the relationship between misogyny, high heels, and double standards which is complex and multifaceted. High heels as a fashion item are can be empowering and stylish but can also promote debate around gender expectations, objectification and societal norms.
The evolution of high heels and changing narratives has seen that women have pushed back against societal expectations by wearing more comfortable footwear options like flats or sneakers whilst some women have reclaimed the heel as a form of personal expression that transcends its historical association with submission or objectification.
The design process for making a shoe was facinating and is something I will explore in my sketch book to help me find shoes that will challenge misogyny and double standards. As shoes steer away from traditional feminine designs to the big bold wedges the whole narrative begins to change.
Victoria and Albert Museum - Naomi Campbell Exhibition
The first exhibition of its kind exploring the extraordinary career of fashion model Naomi Campbell. Through the work of leading global designers and photographers it celebrated her creative collaborations, activism and far-reaching cultural impact. It was a reflection on empowerment, race, and the cultural impact of fashion. Naomi’s infamous fall off her heels at the 1993 Vivienne Westwood fashion show was a memorable one in fashion history.
It highlighted the risks of wearing bold, unconventional footwear designed by Vivienne Westwood but also that to be in the fashion industry you require more than just beauty and grace but resilience and the ability to overcome obstacles.
The incident prompted me to think about and explore why Westwood designs such shoes and what messages did she want to give to the viewer…The heel was a wedge and not a thin heel ..did it still objectify the wearer or ridicule them? What was the aim of the shoe design? Was it to promote a narrative from the viewer?
Vienna Art museum
The Vienna Art museum holds a collection of shoes through time. I was very interested in the stitching and design of the leather moccasins worn by the Eskimos as the stitching signified different meanings. Could I convey meaning by incorporating it into my work?
I experimented with extruded clay forms consisting of hole shapes and solid shape and then tried to create shoe like forms while thinking about the narrative those forms might bring about misogny and what wearing high heels means to men and women. The dialogue that I had with my peers prompted conversations about their relationship with shoes and memories of wearing them. The majority of my female peers loved wearing heels but felt that now the pain and discomfort was too much! I delved further …and asked if they still felt ‘sexy, incharge, feminine ‘ now they no longer wore them? Some replied “not bothered, too old now’ whilst others would love to still wear them but the pain and discomfort is too intense’.
I enjoyed the fluidity of the shapes and the abstract shoe shapes I created but felt I needed to return to the ‘shoe’ as the abstract ‘shoe’ perhaps wasn’t going to promote the narrative around the “fuck me shoe…hither comes the bold commanding “don’t fuck with me shoe’ and the associated misogyny associated with it.
To return to the ‘shoe‘ I tried to experiment with extruder dies in the shape of different shoes in different sizes. I designed the shoe shape and a company in Stockport made the dies. I experimented with porcelain clay as I really like the fragility and its association with expense. These two properties I felt could celebrate the female form plus the objectivity associated with a women wearing a beautiful expensive pair of shoes.
I found porcelain quite a challenging clay to work with, particularly extruding it but loved the delicate translucent effect after it had been glazed. Unfortunately one of the ceramic sculptures exploded in the kiln although it has been left to dry out slowly. The disaster left me with a small sculpture which I would like to try and recreate. I decided to add spikes to the shoe form to promote a dialogue around the fragility of the porcelain form against the spikiness of the surface texture.
I discussed creating a shoe slip cast mould but was very cognisant that I didn’t have the skills or knowledge to carry out the task yet.
My lecturer talked me through the process and the end product was a mould I could reproduce slip cast shoe from .
How could I use the slip cast forms to create a narrative around “What comes after the fuck -me shoe?… the don’t fuck with me shoe” ? The relationship between misogyny, high heels and double standards is multifaceted. While high heels can certainly be empowering and stylish for some, they can serve as a symbol of societal norms and the objectification of women.
High heels are often associated with sexualised femininity as they alter a women’s posture and emphasises her legs and can make her “submissive” or “vulnerable” almost reducing her to an object.
I choose porcelain due to it’s fragility and when fired the shape moulded into limb like forms. The forms seemed to be submissive on their own so joining them together appeared to bring more strength to the form with perhaps a nod to feminism and how women have reclaimed themselves.
I decided to experiment with using textiles dipped in porcelain slip then dropped over a shoe form. Unfortunately the result wasn’t aesthetically very pleasing! but it is something I would like to try again as the form had a delicate vunerability to it.
The first three shoe sculptures above were created using a press mould using white stone ware clay. I joined them together but on reflection find the form to be quite clumsy and amateurish although I tried to create a narrative as surface decoration around the ‘feel good’ aspects of wearing shoes .
The last 3 images are slip cast models made from porcelain. I choose porcelain as the clear white translucent result would enable me to decorate the surface with lettering. The words on the surface of the shoe are all empowering words prompting/shocking the viewer to start a debate/conversation around the “don’t fuck with me shoe”. I left the slip cast mould whole and didn’t pair it down to create a sock illusion. The use of a red underglaze was interesting as women don’t usually wear red socks with high heels! This prompted me to think about a woman’s right to choose what they wear and how they wear it. In this context, high heels can become a form of empowerment, where the wearer asserts control over how they present themselves to the world.
Slip casting a number of slip cast porcelain high heeled shoes allowed me to think about the forms I could create to promote the viewer to consider the relationship that exists between misogyny, high heels, double standards and feminism which is complex, multifaceted and often contentious. High heels as a cultural and fashion symbol represent both empowerment and oppression and they highlight the gendered expectations and double standards that they face in society.
The porcelain shoe when fitted into different forms seemed to speak fagilty and vunerability and I started to explore how high heels have long been linked to the objectification of women. Misogyny, especially in more patriarchal settings, uses high heels as a way of reinforcing women’s subordinate roles in society-making them appear more vulnerable, sexualised and less physically capable or autonomous.
While high heels have been used to symbolise misogynistic control and double standards they can also be reclaimed in a feministic context. The feminist view is that women do not abandon high heels but rather choose to wear them or not. Rather than see them as a tool of oppression use them to express confidence, boldness, and individuality. Through my work I hope to explore how high heels can be a way to express confidence, boldness and individuality and how shoes become a form of empowerment that assert control for women.
By experimenting with layering and cutting up the shoe using slip cast moulds and press moulded shoe forms the forms have become stronger and almost figure like in their presentation. I am going to experiment and explore creating a female form from the shoe shape and what debate that might promote from the viewer. The other area to play with is using the surface of the ceramic sculpture to present a narrative around the ‘fuck me shoe' and the ‘don’t fuck with me shoe”.
To explore creating a more powerful form I experimented with white stoneware clay by extruding it through shoe shaped dies. The structures created seemed to morph together creating symbols of empowerment, self-expression. Each extruded form seems to present an individual developing a broader narrative of self expression and individual choice. I have purposely not joined them together so the dynamics can be changed by the viewer to prompt debate and discussion.
I enjoy working with crank clay when creating forms. Extruding the shoe shapes produced hardy corse forms which stepped away from the delicate porcelain forms. These forms are a nod to the ‘don’t fuck with me shoe’ women free from the oppressive weight of patriarchal norms!
I tried slicing the extruded forms and building a layered structure with each shoe carrying a message. I wanted the form to take on a women’s figure and plan to experiment further with this concept.
Using slip cast moulds of porcelain shoes I experimented with creating different forms exploring the “don’t fuck with me shoe” and the complicated relationship that exists between misogyny, high heels, double standards and feminism. I also felt the ‘fuck me shoe’ needed to be explored further. Using bright under glaze colours the delicate porcelain suddenly took on a powerful, bold form which was interesting and individual.
Experimenting with the porcelain slip casts of the shoes allowed me to create forms exploring the juxtaposition of porcelain’s fragility with the strength or independence associated with feminist ideals and the ‘don’t fuck with me shoe’ concept.
Porcelain is often seen as a symbol of fragility or delicacy, but the ceramic sculptures highlight strength, resilience and the subversion of traditional gender expectations.
The porcelain shoe could be a metaphor for breaking free from the constraints that society places on women.
Another aspect I have explored through my work is that porcelain is normally treated as ornamental or decorative rather like women in high heels -’the fuck me shoe’- not given agency or a voice.
I press moulded a shoe form using white earthenware clay then layered the shapes to create a form . The resulting sculpture was quite heavy and requires refining.
Extruded forms fragility vs strength. The forms are heavy and robust and when placed together almost take on a female form.
I explored abstract shoe sculptures in the context of the provocative “fuck me” and the bold “don’t fuck with me shoe”. I extruded shapes and played with them to create an abstract shoe form to provoke narrative around the role shoes play in patriarchal society. By deconstructing, abstracting and reinterpreting the shoe the viewer is invited to engage in discussions on bodily autonomy, gender roles and societal expectations.
Using extruded shapes I experimented with a black clay and built abstract shoe shapes. I enjoyed working with the corse black clay as it maintained its shape really well when it was extruded. I experimented with applying a transparent glaze as I thought it might highlight the coarseness of the clay but was disappointed in the end result. The end form was quite dark in appearance but also reminded me of syrupy treacle. They relate to my area of study as they are playful forms of an abstract shoe. The abstract shoes were created in pairs and resembled the fluid female form .
Using extruded shapes I created abstract shoe like forms whist thinking about how high heeled shoes are portrayed and the potential misogyny associated with them using lettering to make statements.
The carousel of press moulded shoes allowed me to be playful with the shoe forms using bright cheerful surface decoartion. The subject of misogyny and double standards is a heavy one but the form created seems to reflect a more liberated fun side of women’ gradual empowerment through the ages.
I played with porcelain and the extruder. I found porcelain challenging to work with! but really enjoyed the aesthetic outcomes related to it, fragility vs strength and transparency. The simple forms oozed beauty but strength at the same time.
I explored creating a sculpture using porcelain which was difficult but my intention was to promote/spark important conversations around gender, ideate and peer and how comfortable the viewer is with the ‘don’t fuck with me shoe’!
I was drawn to a book by Swedish artist Jessica Hallback a collection of feminist art work from over a century of the women’s movement. I will explore the concepts further in my sketch book .
I have taken every opportunity to draw and explore shoes and the complex relationship that exits with the ‘fuck me shoe and the don’t fuck with me shoe” and the how I can shock/create debate through around the issue through my sculptures.
Through experimentation and playing with ideas I felt I needed to refine the sculptures. I spent time with a plaster slip mould maker called Ed Bentley and commissioned a mould to experiment with the production of a more refined shoe. Through this slip cast shoe I will explore surface decoration and various ceramic sculptures with the aim of creating the symbolic bold and commanding “don’t fuck with me shoe’.
Gradually through experimentation and play the female form seems to emerge through my pieces of work both in surface decoration and the form itself. I have explored through sketching images that resonate with me around the issue of misogyny and double standards that exist around women wearing high heeled shoes in a patriarchy.
I felt the ‘don’t fuck with me shoe’ message could be represented with lettering and designs of the female form on the surface of the ceramics to draw the viewer in and hopefully provoke a dialogue.
I experimented with underglaze decals on bisque white earthen ware and used underglaze to create images of the female form inside the shoe on the sole (first three pictures) The significance of the inner lining of a high heeled shoe is meant to be there for comfort but in a high heeled shoe it can lead to discomfort and pain which represents the wider expectation that women are expected to endure physical harm for the sake of aesthetics or social approval. The lining, although it appears protective may mask or cushion the deeper, more insidious cost of conforming to expected norms. Conversely the soft inner lining could represent a type of resistance where softness is expected but it could be masking a women’s internal strength.
The next four images are of a slab constructed form in the shape of a shoe. The surface decoration of women’s figures are intended the soften the form and draw the view to the paintings of female figures. The decal lettering consists of quotes made by people about shoes and what they mean to them. I would hope that this would promote a discussion for the viewer through exploring the complex issues around the “don’t fuck with me shoe”.
Using the slip cast moulds I created a form adorned with spikes. The spikes add layers of complexity to the traditional high heel transforming it into a more rebellious, provocative or aggressive symbol. On one hand it represents empowerment, rebellion and self expression another way to assert strength and sexual autonomy. On the other hand it could present the ongoing tension between self-expression and the pressure of societal expectation.
I sprayed the porcelain shoe forms with a gloss stoneware glaze to create a high shine glossy appearance, unfortunately the glaze after firing was quite ‘spotty ‘ but on reflection I quite liked the texture as it gave some depth to the surface of the shoe. This surface texture compliments the smooth porcelain and the messages on it’s surface.
To experiment with texture on the shoe form I used lace material which created an interesting surface. Lace is associated with delicacy, sensuality and historical views of femininity. Lace, when paired with high heels can signal a deliberate embrace of a women’s sexual identity and autonomy.
I created Marquette’s to experiment with under glaze decals and stains.
The large slab formed shoe form unfortunately cracked in one place which is something I have reflected on and I will try to avoid with future slab build forms. The surface decoration however does convey the ‘the don’t fuck with me shoe “ narrative quite effectively.
I have explored in my sketch book how using surface decoration on the ceramic shoe forms will engage the viewer to explore how high heels can challenge misogynistic views by incorporating empowering messages or bold statements onto the shoes turning them into walking billboards for feminism and autonomy reframing high heels from objects of sexualisation into tools of empowerment and defiance.
Extruded shapes and the use of a bronze glaze and crystals.
In my sketch book I have explored the complex subject of “what comes after the fuck-me shoe? the don’t fuck with me shoe” and how the sexualisation of high heels is a broader reflection of broader misgynistic structures that dictate how women “should'“ present themselves. The resulting sketches and sentences have then been recreated into under glaze and over glaze decals.
I explored using a black clay extruded then created into abstract shoe forms. I tried using a metallic gold glaze that resulted in a very dark surface area. Adding gold overglaze decals and a white crackle galse allowed the forms to look more playful.
Using a hessian material and a cardboard frame I dipped the hessian In to porcelain casting slip. I result was a very fragile quite clumsy form.I tried to maker to more of a playful form by adding lettering and under glaze decals that explored the misogyny surrounding shoes. Although I initially didn’t like the form I feel it now would provoke a discussion/debate from the viewer.
Using extruded shapes I played with the shoe form creating a fun form using messages and decals.
There top 4 images are marquettes that I experimented with using painting with stains and a metallic glaze.
The four shoe are created using a press plaster mould that I created for a shoe. The resulting forms are quite heavy and clunky but I was able to use them to experiment on with decals and underglazes.
The ceramic form reminded me of the female form as it evolved. I used a red clay and an on glaze black pen to explore the ‘don’t fuck with me shoe” debate. Unfortunately the finished object moved during the glaze firing which detracts from the end finish.
I used a corse crank clay to extrude through a shoe die and really liked the way the clay tore and formed. The resulting pillars were glazes using metallic gold. The metallic gold glaze has a tendency to run on porcelain but I perhaps should have added more layers to the form above. The pillars remind me of female figures hurled together almost protecting themselves. The form should provoke a discussion from the viewer- how does’t such an organic shape relate to a high heeled shoe? It is something I am going to explore in future work.
I explored surface decoration on another set of extruded shoe pillars. The narrative on the sides of the pillars shocks/explores the complex debate around ‘the fuck me shoe’ and the misogyny associated with it…
Using a porcelain slip cast mould I created shoe forms, bisque fired them and then glazed them a transparent glaze. I played with wire and creating different forms. It was a very playful structure that unfortunately parts melted in the kiln. I found the resulting structures very interesting …particularly the layers that were created in the porcelain. I would like to experiment with the porcelain further as I really liked the unintentional end result. I named it ‘melt down’ which is really how I was feeling at the time! It is also was symbolic of how women feel when they are constantly challenging misogynistic attitudes.
A porcelain ceramic form was decorated with a metallic gold glaze and decals in the shape of the female figure and fired. Unfortunately the metallic glaze ran down one heel and the form slumped in the kiln. I really like the shape as it metaphorically seems to represents women joining together ..one aspect of the form represents the feminine ,pink, soft areas of being female which is complemented by the glam glossy playful side .
I was able to paint onto the slab shoe built form and play with images of the female form complimenting it with a narrative to provoke the view into dialogue.
I exuded porcelain through a shoe shaped die which produced pillars. Unfortunately the final form exploded in the kiln so I was only left with the 2 pieces above. I applied spikes which really appeared to contrast really well with the smooth texture of the porcelain. Porcelain represents to me expense and fragility and the gold spike strength and resilience, metoporically symbolising the the complexities of the ‘the fuck me shoe …and the don’t fuck with me shoe” …fuelling the complex misogyny debate..
A porcelain ceramic form that didn’t slump or blow up!! lots of lessons learnt! I have explored the fragility and complexities of been female through the form. Pretty pastel colours and glamorous expensive gold spikes surrounded by provocative lettering all huddled together represents the many complexities of being a women in 2025.
I was very keen to improve the standard of the finished form so worked with Ed and commissioned a mould of one of my shoes. the resulting slip case holds were at a much higher standard and I could start experimenting with surface decoration that really showcased the opportunity to explore the complex subject of the sexualisation of high heels and the broader misogynisitic structures that dictate how women ‘‘should’ present themselves
The ceramic forms exude power, confidence and an air of ‘i’m in charge’…after the provocative ‘fuck with me shoe comes the bold and commanding don’t fuck with me shoe”
I created images and lettering exploring the complex subject of misogyny and high heels using confrontational statements and empowering phrases. I sourced the statements from talking to women and men about what high heels mean to them?
I plan to refine and develop my work by experimenting with future shoe slip moulds .
