On My Desk

The making of shoes is difficult, this is a fact.
However, getting them into the box is the hardest part.
This tedious stage is the finishing, to be said in a dreaded tone.

What is this finishing? Well once the shoes are made, you have to go over them with a fine- toothed comb, or indeed a toothbrush as illustrated, and clean the buggers up.
Crevices must be clean, threads must not fuzz, mucky marks and extra glue must be removed, touch ups need to take place, laces, tissue paper, primping and preening.......you get the idea.
This unfortunately involves using every possible tool, utensil, paint and polish, my desk is a bombsite during this stage.

I still don't think of it as a legitimate part of the process, and curse repeatedly when I realise that no, the shoes are not ready to go in the box, they have to be bloody finished!

Finally, when all this mayhem ends with a whimper and my eyesight is shot, the brand spanking new box beckons. Shoes go in, nestled between layers of tissue paper, the lid goes on, a ribbon is tied, and the quiet descends! That is the best feeling, oh and so is crossing them off my list.


Titled 'NYC Kicks', in homage to my favourite city, hence the apple.

These babies are off to Craft Vic for their In The Making show which kicks off next Thursday night at 6pm. Here's their blurb for the show:

'In The Making is the 2008 exhibition component of A Month About Making. 'Making' is a form of building, assembling, fabricating. The phrase 'in the making' suggests both a finished and an unfinished trajectory, a process begun, with or without end. This exhibition asks: what is the nature of making today? How do makers conceive of their own practice? In The Making seeks to explore the relationships between contemporary craft and design, its institutions and the various ways in which current practice is circumscribed. This exhibition will take the form of an open collaboration between Craft Victoria and its Professional Members: a conversation 'in the making'.'