Remember the shoes?

 

It was way back in March 2025 when I did my last post about the ongoing series of work for the EAST exhibition planned for May 2026. 

Lots of other things got in the way - teaching, exhibiting with Out of the Fold and Juxtasposition, and a wonderful trip to India.

The original inspiration was the discovery of a pair of old children's shoes when clearing out my nother's house. No-one knows who wore them.

The title "Wearer Unknown" was reinforced by my visit to the Northampton shoe museum and the discovery of the Concealed Shoe Index (CSI) which records finds of shoes hidden in old houses. The index lists the location, finder and date for each shoe but never the wearer.

My aim is to make as many shoes as I can before the exhibition. The Consealed Shoe Index has almost 2000 entries - this is a little ambitious as so far I have managed ten!

It is quite a long process as after casting each shoe needs to dry before being subjected to various ageing and distressing treatments and I am still experimenting with different effects. So far I have used tea - coffee - iron filings - vinegar - hydrogen peroxide - soot - mud - salt - copper water and sand. 

EAST work with a group mentor Anthea Godfrey who visits our monthly meetings and we all have a one-to-one session to discuss our work. Anthea asked the questions "How are you going to display your shoes?" and how are you going to tell the story of the Concealed Shoe Index? Both good questions.

My solution is to give the shoes a path, made up by stitched hexagons, with each one suggesting an entry in the shoe register. 

I can repurpose some hexagons from a previous installation and add lots more using recycled materials from my vintage fabric stash.

There is a paper record in each hexagon detailing the location, image or history of each shoe find.

My old friend the rust bucket is proving useful once again and the smell of vinegar pervades the house as stitched hexagons are given the rust treatment.

I like how the rust brings out the stitching of a Concealed Shoe Index register number - CSI. 894 - this one from a find in Clare, Suffolk

The initials E.K. where already embroidered on this repurposed linen. I do not know the identity of the stitcher and like the shoes her name is unknown but her story can be imagined.

Each hexagon is double-sided and can be rearranged to fit different spaces.

So I will continue to make my steps and shoes until I run out of energy or time before the exhibition. It will be an installation, exhibited on the floor of the Grundisburgh House Gallery with visitors invited to move the work around if they wish. 

Hopefully the smell of vinegar will have evaporated by then!

"Wearer Unknown" will be exhibited as part of the EAST exhibition 'Paradigm Shift' at the Grundisburgh House Gallery, near Woodbridge, Suffolk from 20th May until 2nd June 2026