הפלאייר שנשלח אלי מאלכס פרידמן מאיגוד הטקסטיל הצהיר “אמנות אופנה” – פאנל בהשתתפות 5 אנשי אופנה ואמנות. ברקע רוחות ודרמה חורפית והדילמה האם לצאת מהבית הייתה רלוונטית מתמיד
הלכתי. הגעתי. התיישבתי
באולם הסמוך מוצגת תערוכה של גיל שרמלין ‘תנודה’. ניאונים צבעוניים מזכירים לי מלון בו התארחתי בברלין לפני 10 שנים ועושים לי נעים. הפאנל נפתח בשאלה האם התערוכה של שמרלין היא ישראלית מקומית או גלובלית
והדיון גלש כמעט מבלי משים למילה אותנטי
אותנטי. כזה בדיוק
הרבה דברים ודעות נאמרו במהלך הערב, ואני חשבתי והרגשתי שאותנטי זה משהו שממציא את עצמו כל פעם מחדש, מגדיר את עצמו שוב ושוב, אולי הוא אפילו איזו אידאה שלעולם לא תמומש מכיוון שגם המקורי מבוסס על ציטוטים והשפעות והשראות, תרבות ילידית שנראית בעיננו אותנטית וברורה ומגודרת למעשה עוצבה במהלך מאות שנים. וכאשר אנו מתבוננים על העבר, על תרבות עתיקה, גם היא עברה שינויים ועיבודים והתפתחות
וגם משכית, אשר ניסתה ליצור זהות מקומית וישראלית התבססה על רקמות פלסטיניות ותימניות, התחברה למקומי באמצעות האמנויות שסביבה
ובעולם גלובאלי – איך מזהים אותנטיות? כי הרי כל כך הרבה בתים ורחובות בעולם נראים דומים זה לזה, דירות מלאות בפריטים מאיקאה, וחלונות רחוב עם מותגים בין לאומיים אשר מקפידים על מיצוב וסגנון דומה בכל אחת מחנויותיהן בעולם
וחשבתי לעצמי שמה שמבדיל עיר אחת מהשניה, ובית אחד ממישנהו זה לא פריט מסוים אלא התמהיל, שהוא הוא ייחודי ולא יחזור או יישנה או יצוטט באופן מלא באף מקום ואולי באף זמן בעולם
חמקמק הוא, האותנטי הזה. הוא בעצמו מנסה להיות אותנטי לעצמו, וכנראה להיות אותנטי זה בעיקר להיות בתנועה. כאשר החשיבה המושכלת האומרת “אני רוצה להיות אותנטית” היא אולי הכי פחות כזו
התנ”ך של הסנדלים
ואיך לא, הדוגמא של סנדלים תנ”כיים עלתה – האם הם אותנטיים לתרבות שלנו או לא? הסנדלים התנ”כיים נקראו בעבר נעלי ישו, והן ננעלו על ידי נזירים. דגמים דומים ננעלו על ידי הרומאים בעת העתיקה
סנדלים פתוחים ופשוטים התאימו לאידאולוגיה של התנועה הציונית אשר הפנתה עורף ליהודי הגלותי ורצתה ליצור יהודי חדש, שורשי, וכדרכה של תנועה, או אדם, התנועה הציונית בעת חיפושה אחרי זהות נעזרה בסממנים שונים על מנת לאפיין אותה, כמעט אפשר לומר למתג את עצמה. בחפירות ארכיאולוגיות בשנות ה 30 של המאה הקודמת, בבית כנסת בדורה אירופאוס, סוריה, נתגלו ציורי קיר המתארים יהודים מהמאה השלישית נועלים סנדלים. הגילוי הצית וחיזק את האתוס הציוני סביב הסנדלים
(“Jews and Shoes” by Edna Nahshon, p. 79)
והנושא – הסנדל התנ”כי – עלה בעת המפגשים של קבוצת התאטרון אשר יצרה את ההצגה “נעליים” בבימוי נועה לב, ובעיקר ברפרט שהעבירו השחקנים מעיין רחמים ובן לב. החלוצים בחרו להתרחק מנעליים אירופאיות דוגמת נעלי אוקספורד ובחרו בסנדלים התנ”כיים אשר נתפסו בעינהם כנעליים של העבריים הקדמונים
ובזמן שהאזנתי לרפרט של מעיין ובן וראיתי את השקופיות והתמונות, עלתה מולי תמונה ברורה של נעל אוקספורד בתוך סנדל תנ”כי, ייצור כילאיים
הסנדל-נעל הוצג בתצוגת האופנה של ההצגה ‘נעליים’, והן משלבות סנדל עור של ‘נעלי נמרוד’ יחד עם נעל דמויית דגם דרבי מחומרים סינתטיים של נעלי טו-גו. את הסנדלים התנ”כיים של נמרוד ניתן למצוא בחנויות הרשת, אבל הכי כיף לגשת לחנות המקורית ברח’ דיזנגוף 185 בתל-אביב
למעלה: מתוך ההצגה “נעליים”. צילום תום ווליניץ
לפני כן עשיתי ניסיונות לשלב נעליים אחרות בתוך הסנדלים
יש פה כמה דוגמאות לתהליך ולנסיונות
למעלה: בשוק הפשפשים, סנדלי נמרוד פוגשים נעלי דרבי בשלל גוונים של חום ושחור
הנעליים שבתמונות למעלה נקנו בשוק הפשפשים, הן מעור וישנות יותר
האם זה הופך אותן לאותנטיות יותר? או פשוט לנעליים שנושאות בתוכן יותר זכרונות
נעל סינתטית וזולה לא נתפסת בעיננו כאותנטית, אך מצד שני היא מאפיינת יותר את הייצור כיום, לטוב ולרע
ולמה לבסוף בחרנו בנעליים של טו-גו? בין השאר בגלל הצבע הבהיר שלהן שיצר ניגודיות גבוהה, קונטרסט, עם הסנדל, מה שחיזק את הניראות שלהן על הבמה
אני ‘מודה’ שבהתחלה פחות התחברתי לנעליים של טו-גו, העדפתי נעליים מחומרים טבעיים, עם סיפור מאחוריהן. ואז קלטתי שגם פה יש סיפור, לתוך הסנדל התנ”כי, שהוא בכלל סנדל רומאי-נוצרי, הכנסתי נעל בעלת מראה אירופאי “קלאסי” כביכול, אשר למעשה מיוצרת בייצור המוני במזרח הרחוק
וזה בלט במיוחד כאשר הדבקתי את הנעל בתוך הסוליה. כדי שההדבקה תהיה חזקה אודי שפיגל, יצרן הנעליים אשר סייע לי רבות בהדבקות ובייצור חלק מהדגמים, ביקש שאשייף את פני השטח של הספידה. וכך שייפתי והעלמתי כמעט לגמרי את הלוגו שהוטבע בפנים הסנדל. הנעל הסינית דמויית הנעל האירופאית “מחצה” או הסתירה את הלוגו, הזהות של הסנדל
ואני אחזור על כמה מדבריו של פרופ’ זלי גורביץ’ בפאנל של איגוד הטקסטיל, שאמר שהאותנטיות היא אין סופית, כל הזמן מגדירים אותה מחדש ומעולם לא מגיעים אליה באמת. זוהי שאלה נצחית אשר מתהווה כל הזמן
ודוגמא מצויינת לכך היא שפה, אשר מייחדת מקום, קהילה, תרבות – זהות. אך גם שפות הינן מבוססות ועשירות במילים ממגוון מקומות, כולל העברית כמובן
וזה מזכיר לי את אביבית ישראלוף ששם ההרכב שלה הוא אַנַא תִיאַמַת ולפני כמה ימים סיפרה לי את מקור השם: המילה
tiham
או תהם בארמית. ושמה של אלת הים במיתולגיה הבבלית היא תִיאַמַת
אביבית ישראלוף בהופעה. ומסכה – זה אותנטי או לא? ועוד על מסכות בפוסט על אלינה ינובר, אמנית המסכות ומעצבת אופנה
ואסוציאציה אחרונה להיום (בנתיים) להקת ‘עז‘ השבדית אשר חבריה מופיעים עטויים במסכות ולא חושפים את זהותם, כותבים את שם הכפר ממנו הם מגיעים בשגיאות כתיב ומספרים שבכפר שלהם יש מסורת של וודו. אין אפשרות לדעת האם הסיפור אמיתי או לא. הם יוצרים מעין מיתולגיה סביב הלהקה ומצטטים אין ספור תרבויות בלבוש, במסכות ובמוסיקה שהם יוצרים
כי העובדות (אולי?) חשובות, אך מה שכנראה משפיע יותר זה איך אנחנו מחברים אותן ואיזה סיפור אנחנו שומעים או מספרים
Where: between the American embassy and the Russian embassy. They are located a few hundred meters from one another in Ha’Yarkon st., Tel-Aviv, close to the sea.
Approximately a few hundred people held hands and raised signs requesting, demanding help for Syrian citizens.
My low angle of the demonstration, perhaps identifying with the low and harsh conditions the people of Aleppo and Syria have been suffering for too long.
Above: one of the organizers of the demonstration, who walked up and down along the chain of people holding hands, was wearing stilettos.
Trippen, mitten like socks and a dog included.
Politics seem so cynical. The information we have is so many times based on other people ‘playing’ with the facts. Yet I hope the demonstrations around the world could make a change.
Thank you for following my steps. You are welcome to follow my future steps too.
Its’ not that I chose them – says Gillian who wears shoes size 35, and constantly finds creative solutions to find shoes that fit.
Who: Gillian Golan – or Gilli as most people call her – a close friend, business consultant for design focused businesses, senior lecturer in Shenkar college, lecturer and teacher of “From creating to selling – from designing to marketing” courses. The course provides tools (=knowledge) for marketing and selling in the commercial market for designers and creative people.
Me: so what is a shoe for you?
Gillian: where will I find it, where are there shoes that fit me?? In one word – a mission!
Above: Gillian’s dream shoes. Why?? Read on to hear the story 🙂 were bought in Triest, Italy, summer 2016
Me: a favorite shoe, you really love
Gillian: it changes. Every time I have a shoe I’m crazy about for a while. I fall in love with shoes that fit me perfectly, and also look good on me.
The perfect fit is really important because it is so hard for me to find shoes that suit me.
It’s not only about the size – from the start so few shoes are made in size 35 – in addition there are whole categories that I know in advance will not fit me; the sandals and shoes that wrap around the shin are almost always too wide for me. all the gladiator sandals for example that were so fashionable this summer – I couldn’t buy even one of them.
So the challenge is double – first to find a shoe size 35. And then also find a shoe that fits in width and proportions.
Another thing I realized throughout the years is that many times when I do find size 35 shoes, they are more a mature style, addressing older women. Many times they are fancy evening shoes, and this is not my personal style.
Me: and what about custom-made shoes Gilli: I tried but it wasn’t a successful experience. The result wasn’t comfortable. We changed, fixed them but it didn’t work. Since then I travel the world in the search of the perfect shoe, hoping to find my dream shop – full of size 35 shoes.
Me: describe the process of buying shoes
Gilli: I stroll down a street, suddenly my eye catches a shoe shop with all its glory. The shoes are alluring, I want to reach out to them but I am reserved; I first check to see if they have them in size 35. Usually I don’t even have to ask the staff because the shops exhibit the smallest size they have available – if size 35 isn’t presented in the story, they probably will not have it in stock.
So I mapped shops that sell size 35 shoes. There was an excellent shop in Amsterdam called Cinderella but it seems it closed. Another excellent shop is Giordano’s in New York (details below). In this shop size 35 is even considered to be a big size. The shoes are not that cheap, their price is about 200-300$, but worth the cost. they hold designer’s samples, samples which are made in small sizes to look attractive to buyers.
Me, thinking to mysesf: this touches a sensitive issue; the masculine fantasy for “small women”, something we’ve been moving away from during the past decades.
But let’s leave this for now because people should feel comfortable with fashion and the designed items that surround us, no matter what your size is.
Above: shoes designed by Liz Claiborne. Materials: leather and microfiber. I especially loved the upper’s shape and cut of shapes.
Above: shoes by Noya. Materials: leather, textile
Gilli continues: (she has a lot to say about size 35!:) because it’s so hard for me to find shoes, it turns out I have a lot of shoes; when I find shoes that fit me I buy them right away! And there’s a big contrast; I either have expensive shoes that cost 200$ or more, or cheap shoes bought for 10$. All the mid range, the “regular” shoes most women buy – are out of range for me. it’s as if I am transparent for the designers and planners of the commercial production lines.
Above: shoes by American Eagle. Materials: synthetic. Maybe: the lining is leather, couldn’t identify it for sure.
Above: shoes by Fione. Gilli loves them so much she even had the back strap repaired by a cobbler.
More places Gilli buys shoes:
Lord and Taylors, a stylish chain of shops, I try to buy there during sales.
Another tip, relevant for the USA but not only: when I buy a few pairs at a time I receive a big discount at the counter, 30%-40%. They have enormous shoe shops, DSW for example. The shoe boxes of each style are stacked one on top of the other and at the top of each pile the shoe is exhibited, as if saying “look at me” and telling which style is in the boxes below. The shoe boxes with very small or large sizes are marked with a circle, this way I can easly identify a shoe box with size 35. When I enter the shop I don’t even look at the shoes, I look only at the boxes and when I find a shoe box size 35 I look up to see at the shoe. This way I bought the red sandal, I looked up and said “wow, a red sandal, ok, that’s cool”, I wasn’t even looking for such a sandal. This way I’m constantly surprised by the shoes I buy.
Above: followed the magic dots; a red sandal size 35. Materials: leather upper, synthetic insock, wedge coated by cord.
Another brand that has women’s shoes size 35 is Clarks, but I can find this size only when travelling abroad
In Israel I usually buy in Aldo, Zara kids and the local brand Twenty Four Seven.
Aldo – my personal style is slightly different than theirs, but I can still find in Aldo shoes I like, I try to wait to the sales season.
In Zara kids I usually buy their flat pump shoes, their sizes are a little large, so sometimes I find myself buying size 34.
Above: sandals by Twenty Four Seven. Materials: leather, studs, injected polyurethane outsole.
A thought: the sandal is made with hardly any stitching, other than one exception – a stitch at the back strap. This reduces the cost of production – the labor work is expensive – and this makes me wonder why they didn’t find another solution besides stitching.
Above: one single stitch; it’s not clear to me why they didn’t use a stud for connecting.
More shops worldwide: in south east Asia it is easy for me to buy. In Macy’s I usually buy more than one pair at a time. I can spend 3-4 hours searching but know that as far as shoes are concerned I can enjoy some peace and quiet for a year or so.
Me: A shoe you dream about, long for
Gilli: at the end of the day I fantasize about something simple – a classic knee-high boot that will fit perfectly, have a low heel about 4 cm high, a boot made of high quality materials that I could enjoy wearing for a few seasons.
Me: a story about a shoe which is special to you
Gilli: a few months ago I was a guest at the ITS competition which takes place once a year in Trieste, Italy. I accompanied one of the participants in the competition (name of —-) , who also won first prize.
We arrived in Trieste and I felt like I want to find the perfect shoe that would match the skirt and shirt I bought the day before – finding clothes that fit me is also not easy! I knew the chances were not high; to find shoes that match the clothes and match me too in a short time. And then, against all odds it happened! I found pump shoes in a colour matching the shirt. At the end of the day I found 4 items in 4 different shops, all matching one another and matching me too!
Gilli: and this is the time for another tip: it’s easier to find shoes size 35 in south of Italy than in the north, where people are taller.
Above: Shoes by La Nouvelle, jacket by Pimkie, Skirt by Motivi
Above: Gilli’s lucky shoes, bought in Trieste, Italy
Gilli: I remember there was a fashion for sneakers with colour outsole, these were shoes by Gali, and mygrandfather who had a factory for rubber produced the outsoles for them.
Me: your grandfather had a rubber factory?? Where, when, what was its name?
Gilli: Tagel factory, in Akko
Me: you are truly a family of producers,
Gilli: yes… eventually my grandfather sold the factory to one of the large companies in Israel. I have another memory: sandals with a rubber outsole through which you could thread laces that tied around the foot and leg, you could switch between the laces and choose your favorite colour.
Me, thinking to myself: it is like the freedom Gilli would like to have today choosing shoes…
Above: red shoes bought in Payless – follow the dots on the boxes 🙂
Above: girl’s sandal we designed in Nimrod shoes in 2012, with a changeable lace
Me: and childhood reminds me of your daughters…
Gilli: right now they are both size 35, and I hope their shoe size will grow, and they don’t stay at size 35 for two reasons
Me: I can guess why..
Gilli: first, so they will not need to cope with this “nightmare” of size 35 in a world which produces most of its shoes from size 36 upwards and…
Me: so they will not wear your shoes!
Gilli: exactly 🙂
Above: a photo I shot of Gilli during her fist pregnancy, at the beginning of our friendship – today her daughter is 15 and wears shoes size 35 🙂 This photo was our first photo collaboration, many more to follow
So after my visit to the “house of 35” with three beautiful and creative women I was left with thoughts about small women who are actually big and meaningful in so many aspects
Fashion designer and senior lecturer at the fashion department in Shenkar Design Academy
It took Idit seven years to process her visit to the Bergdorf Goodman shoe salon into a shoe which expresses the contradictions she experienced during the visit
Bergdorf Goodman which is located in New York’s 5th Avenue in is an exclusive shrine for stylish shoes, which takes its visitors back in time into another dimension
The Salon, established in the 1940s, keeps its original interior design to this day. It’s as if time has been froze in the shrine, yet the desire and lust for beauty are relevant and dramatic as always, since ever
I wear only flat comfortable shoes” says Idit, and although I am aware that women are bewitched by stilettos, still that moment standing in front of a divine pair of Louboutin shoes caught me by surprise. I realized I desired those shoes in a manner I could not anticipate or control
I tried them on, I could barely walk in them yet I was still engulfed by the desire for the shoes
I think women relate to comfort and desire together. Each person creates the mix, the personal answer that suits her – how much am I prepared to suffer for this beauty? Some are prepared to suffer very little, if at all, and there are those who will wear the coveted shoes despite their being uncomfortable – because the shoes answer that same desire that I, too, experienced that morning.
We strive to be as healthy as can be, yet in some conditions we choose a controlled portion of disability – so we can address other motives we have such as being perceived by others as sexy and desirable, to elongate the body and to add a sense of tension to it; to create excitement in our body and physical aspect.
Idit wanted to track down this polarity – the painful and the exclusive in a summit meeting. The stiletto-crutches that she presented in the Cinderella Syndrome exhibition touch on the subject using black humour with gold decoration: a type of disability but madly desirable.
Above: computer rending of the stiletto-crutches, designed by Idit Barak
The Stiletto–crutches relate to characteristics of Loubooutin’s and are best known for: the red outole bottom. The stiletto-crutches are hand-stitched and are made of shiny black leather, its insides are painted in bright red, the butterfly shaped closures are coated with 24K gold.
Stiletto-crutches designed by Idit Barak, gold butterflies fasten a black corner. Photo: Shelley Lewis at the exhibition
The original crutches were taken apart and reassembled; its lower part is made of a ‘strange’ piece of wood which was connected to the upper part of the ‘real’ pair of crutches. The bottom of the crutches is extremely small in relation to the crutches: only 12 m”m width and length. A real heel top, as used in the footwear industry, is glued to the crutches’ base.
The creating of the stiletto-crutches and its transformation from crutches to a stiletto shoe was done in collaboration with the industrial designer Yaniv Kadosh. The result is an item which will challenge our perception of comfort, disability and sex appeal.
First sketch, by Idit Barak
The making of the stiletto-crutches, in collaboration with industrial designer Yaniv Kadosh
Pink DNA, glittery included
Shelley: were you familiar with the term “Cinderella Syndrome” before the exhibition?
Idit: yes, the natural tension between girls and women, and the tension between femininity as perceived by a chauvinist or by a feminist interests me. Which of these characters exist inside of me, and where does the transformation between the different characters occur?
Idit: I am feminist, we shattered the roles which are supposedly relegated to women or men. Today, we the women, are independent and responsible for our lives, yet we have this place inside of us which seems at times to have been programmed to dream of the prince who will come and treat you exactly as you imagine
This raises question within me as a woman, as a mother, as a teacher at Shenkar
“On the other hand” Idit continues “maybe this strong craving to be “like a princess” is beyond education and the surrounding influence on us”.
“I wear only black clothes, and when my daughter was a baby I dressed her only in monochromatic clothes. Yet when she was three years old she came up to me and demanded to wear only “dresses that swirl around me” and told me her favorite colour was pink”.
“Today she’s back wearing black, which makes me feel like a proud mum”, Idit laughs.
Sandals I designed for Nimrod shoes in 2012. Pattern making by Nina Avidan
Shelley: when I worked for Nimrod Children’s Footwear Company, we used to laugh that it’s probably inevitable, perhaps girls are born with a gene which say “pink and glittery”.
Idit: It really is in the DNA in some way or other. Sometimes we can fight it and sometimes we can allow ourselves to be little girls who dream of being big
Big or small, disability or comfort, sex appeal or dream-like sweetness – what is the stiletto shoe?
The following interview invites us to dive into this question and come up with some ambiguous and enlightening resolutions.
Orit Freilich – X-Ray shoes
Orit Freilich, a senior lecturer in the fashion department at Shenkar Academy – exhibited in Cinderella Syndrome an X-ray photo of a pair of shoes she bought in 2006. The photo is accompanied by a soundtrack of her granddaughter singing a children’s song about Cinderella.
The shoes x-rayed by Orit are designed by Maison Martin Margiela, and are part of his series of Replica shoes; Margiela reproduced shoes and perfumes that originally were made in the 1980’s.
Orit: the x-rayimage is silent evidence of the pain embodied in wearing shoes with heels. The nails are an explicit expression of this discomfort.
Above: Orit Freilich’s granddaughter sings in the sweetest voice ever: “My dear Cinderella loves me, we will soon marry and have a baby boy”.
And the picture above the song: the X-ray image Orit presented in Cinderella Syndrome. Is the shoe being taken apart, or is going through a healing process? And who is the patient? Is it the shoe with distorted nails, or is us, constantly craving for additional elevation and heights?
Orit: The dichotomy between the visual pain seen in the x-ray screen, and the sweet voice of my granddaughter, who is the voice for all the girls who haven’t yet worn shoes with heels – confronts the mature women with what lies ahead for their daughters, while keeping silent about it.
The shoes X-Rayed by Orit, were designed by Maison Martin Margiela, and are part of his Replica series. In this series Margiela remade vintage shoes he had in his private archive. The replicas search for past identities of shoes, and raise questions such as what is authenticity today and what is our relationship with the past?
Replica in its pure essence is the remaking of something from the past, usually considered by us as “original” and “authentic”. During theremaking, the replica becomes an original of its own, and so on and so on.
“I chose a shoe from the Replica series” says Orit during our interview, “because it resontates the remaking, the reproduction of past ideas and objects. Margiella’s shoe recreates a shoe exactly as a woman waiting for her prince recreates the idea of marriage, and the promise of salvation embedded within them –it’s a ceremony which has been repeated again and again since the first couple who married”.
Picture above: waiting for the prince? A Barbie doll between two shoes designed by Ann Demeulemeester, in their original box. An X-ray picture by Orit Freilich.
In the song accompanying the image, my granddaughter sings “My dear Cinderella loves me …” these are actually the words which are supposed to be sung by the man, not the woman.
Shelley: by doing so, the woman gains a hold on the man’s perspective of her, this same image he has of her which affects so many women in such a profound way – am I desirable, am I attractive, what is my value? – And by this she restores control of her self image.
Orit: yes, the song has many meanings, exactly as the photo enabled me to expose hidden components, and take a closer look at the shoe. It’s the same as when the doctor examines our X-ray photo, looking for signs and clues in order to have a better understanding of his, or her patient. I, for example, discovered that the nails in my shoes were crooked, I don’t know if they were like that from the start, or they if were deformed by walking in them. We reveal a concealed layer while at the same time more questions arise.
In the photo above: Margiela’s Replica shoes; do nails have a hidden language? An X-Ray photo by Orit Freilich
In the photo above: Margiela’s Replica shoes; do nails have a hidden language? An X-Ray photo by Orit Freilich
The interview ended. I was left with thoughts about being exposed and indirect at the same time. Could these two live together?
On the one hand Orit invited us to have a close and introspective look at the shoe, yet the shoe remains mysterious and unknown.
So if you are curious to see the shoe in its entirety, you are welcome to have a look at the bottom of this post, where you can see the shoe posted upside down.
And why is it upside down you might be asking yourselves?
Well, first because this is the nature of riddles, also because the following and last interview turns heels over head.
You can see more of Orit’s work in the upcoming DLD innovation festival on Sep-27, 2016. Orit’s work, titled “C.T. Scan of Cherub”, will include a video installation which will be screened onto the houses in Rothschild Blvd. Tel-Aviv. What kind of images will these be? Well, I guess you get the idea 🙂
The negative of the positive – Avigail Talmor
My phone converstation with Avigail Talmor, owner of the brand For Those Who Pray, took place while Avigail was seated in her studio overlooking the sea that stretches to the far horizon, hand stitching items for five of Comme Il Faut’s exclusive shops.
“I hand stitch all the objects I make” says Avigail. “From each style I make 15-20 units, and then I move on to the next style. Each style is produced for a specific period and in small quantities. Besides my 5-6 best sellers, which I produce again and again.”
“I don’t produce collections” Avigail continues, “I am part of the slow fashion movement”.
A clutch made of left-over leather, using special techniques. When? Probably right now. In one week from now it might not be available in stock…
“The objects I design I make” – and Avigail calls her jewelry ‘objects’ because it allows the items to have a wider definition, without identifying with a specific part of the body – “are always made of left-over black leather I buy. This makes the design work and stitching much more complicated. It takes much longer to choose the best left-overs. Also stitching and connecting pieces of leather which are so different from one another requires high skills and a constant development of new techniques”.
“Ecology is important to me, embedding these values into the process of making an object, but to be honest the value which is the most important for me are my personal aesthetics. Aesthetics are a means of expressing my inner truth. Being precise about aesthetics that express my point of view is something I’m not prepared to compromise on.”
After going further into this we could discuss the object Avigail exhibited in Cinderella Syndrome.
Shelley: the head piece evokes the Statue of Liberty
Avigail: I am also a painter and I was in residency for half a year in New York. I found the Statue of Liberty intriguing; on the one hand it looks like a woman, on the other hand its jaw is masculine. She is dressed in clothes that blur the silhouette of her body, so it’s even harder to tell if it’s a man or a woman.
I find gender interesting; I am driven by the philosophy behind things because all creation is strongly linked to an inner ideology. All actions have a cause, whether hidden or not.
Photo by Guy Goldstein
Head over Heels; For Those Who Pray
Photo by Guy Goldstein
Avigail continues: the statue’s tiara has a lot of power, it includes seven rays pointing to the seven corners of the world. The message is that liberty reaches to the every corner of the world.
In the object I designed for “Cinderella Syndrome” I echo this from my point of view as a fashion designer – the fashion message that spreads from New York outwards.
And the idea, the message I have to offer is a wide and open interpretation of Gothic aesthetics. Why open? Because it is first and foremost a matter of combinations, how does the object I designed blend into your personal style.
Above: Photographer Pavel Bolo|Makeup by Rafit Noy for MAC Cosmetics|Hair by Rafit Noy for MORROCANOIL|Model Noam Shoham
Avigail: this reminds me of an interview I read with Li Edelkoort, the trend setter, who told about a time she was invited to lecture at an office. During the meeting with the staff the people changed clothes with each other, and created new looks which were beyond trends. What really matters in fashion, and perhaps in life too, is the combination, not the trend or a specific object.
I create styles which are multi-cultural. On the one hand they look Gothic, on the other hand they look African. It is all a matter of context, with what and how do you wear, or use an object I designed. An object needs context in order to have meaning
Picture above: photographer Michael Topyol|Makeup: Rafit Noy for MAC Cosmetics|Hair :Rafit Noy for MORROCANOIL|Model Noam Shoham
Shelley: this reminds me of a quote by Rolan Barth who said that a shoe is never just a shoe. A clothing item is never only functional, because it is part of culture.
Michel Foukault said something similar about sexuality: sex doesn’t hold a hidden truth within itself, if anyone of us has a hidden, private, authentic truth relating to his or her own sexuality, then it was implanted with the help of social mechanisms
So actually all our actions are performed within a social context. To say that ‘doing’ is nothing more than the action itself is an injustice to the truth around us – the reality, culture, context.
Avigail: that’s true. My drawings of guard booths raise a question: is the guard booth at the entrance to a car park, or at the border, or at the entrance to a gaol? The booth is imbued with meaning based on its surroundings.
For a moment we leave the wider context of things, and go back to talk about the headpiece Avigail designed
At first glance from afar the object seems like a black crown to the head, but a closer look reveals the many different parts carefully stitched to transform the seven heels into a circle
Avigail: I actually create silhouettes, I see the object as a negative, not a positive. I am not busy with precious stones and diamonds which might decorate the object, but with its overall impact and relationship with the body.The seven rays create a dramatic change in the silhouette of one’s head, exactly as it does for the Statue of Liberty. This is not a decoration, but a major and meaningful change in proportions and shape.
The interview with Avigail ended and I was left in thought.
Avigail creates objects with a clear and dramatic silhouette, in the same way her choice in using only left-over black leather acts as her conceptual silhouette, to her work. She defined dark boundries, with endless beauty and depth.
And last but not least; Margiela’s Replica shoe, why is it upside down? Because it’s an answer to a small riddle, and because it makes sense here, in this contxt 🙂
Replica shoes designed by Maison Marin Margiela; resonating ideas and dreams into the present. Photo by Orit Freilich.
Desires, aspirations, longing for something which is beyond you;
Shortage, lacking, a difference, deification. longing, desiring, imaging…
The stiletto fills the gap between our dreams and reality;
8 centimeters of desire,
20 centimeters of eagerness and fascination
4 cm of longing for more and more
I also want more
To show, to create
So here I am, writing a blog
Words that wrap words, liquefying energy bursting into a flow which flit upon the paper or screen instead of in a gallery and a ‘real’ space
“The gap betwwen elegance and pain”designed by Tal Drori and Asaf Shem Tov, 2006
Above: Is this a shoe or a sealed idea of a shoe?
When I first heard about the Cinderella Syndrome exhibition
I held my breath for a second
And then reminded myself to take a good deep breath
“I am not there” shouted a hidden voice in my head
I design for other brands,
I have not yet created my own line of items with a clear statement
But
I’ve this place, here
The blog, into which the energy flows
Energy that might not be channeled into materials, objects, heel heights, leather, glue, feathers and nails, colours and forms
Above: Working into the material, into the leather – “Venus’s Trap” by Shani bar. Material: Nappa leather. Photo by Shai Ben Efraim
The desire to bridge a gap, to reach the un reachable
is found in the story of Yaara Kider, curator of the exhibition,
who hasn’t worn high heels for two years following a glorious and painful fall from high heels
and has hung up her heels and proceeded to celebrate life
in flat shoes
a clear contact with the ground – a sort of truthfulness
stability and comfort
that now guide her feet
But the nature of ideas and desires is not to rest nor to remain silent and the intellectual and creative curatorship of Cinderella Syndrome provided Yaara with the drama and magic she needs just like the air she breathes
“Bleeding Innocence” by Maya Maimon-Friedman, The Guid, 2016
Looking for some Drama?
“When I started digging dipper into the story of The Wizard of Oz I realized that Dorothy, who comes across as an innocent girl, launches a killing spree in order to return to her home” says Maya, whom I know from the Trend course I teach at The Guild. “It reminded me of an intriguing yet scary image I once saw by the photographer Brit Bentine. This image had a strong impact on me, and it inspired my work”. Brit Bentine dresses up children as figures in a horror movie, examining the border line between innocence and fear in childhood and life itself.
The interview with Yaara Keidar
Was squeezed into her tight schedule during her visit to Israel
An hour before the opening
Amid a team making last minute arrangements
Yaara, who conducts this dynamic ensemble, finds a few precious moments for our meeting
Shelley: a moment when a stiletto was more than just a shoe, an unforgettable moment?
Yaara: I got married barefooted! I wasn’t comfortable in the stiletto I was wearing, and a few moments before the wedding ceremony I took off my stiletto shoes, to my Mum’s great annoyance!
Shelley: You were ahead of your time, even pre-empting Julia Roberts!:)
Julia Roberts who took off her shoes before stepping onto the red carpet in Cannes, and by doing this expressed her support at the protest against the demand women should wear stiletto shoes – if at work places or at Cannes festival itself.
Shelley: when working on a creative project, there’s a moment when it all “clicks”, a magical moment, of understanding something that couldn’t be understood at the beginning. Did you have such a moment during the work on the exhibition, and if so – what was in this moment?
Yaara: “When I started I didn’t know what topics and content would arise in the exhibition. The application to the designers was very open, I said to them “relate to the subject in any way you want – be critical or not critical, say that stilettos are amazing or alternatively that the end of the world’s approaching – do whatever’s burning inside you”
Some amazing works arrived from Bezalel, Shenkar, from the Guild, that conducted a competition for participating in Cinderella Syndrome
A natural harmony was created, a division into categories and then I understood that there was a basis for the exhibition, a track, and that’s how it was created”.
The division into four topics within the exhibition:
The pink room relates to children’s fairy tales; are the stories really as pleasant as they seem to us?
The green room displays shoes that take the term height to a new level
The white room shows us the artistic aspect of shoes, where does the shoe end and art begin?
And the black room – the fetish room that examines the pain and aggression in shoes
The white room, “Rogatka” by Kobi Levi. Materials: wood and leather. Photo: Ilit Azulai
“La Petite Sirene” by Mor Kfir, relates to the little mermaid fairy tale. The mermaid gave up her voice and tale for love, she loved a prince who did not love her back and didn’t appreciate her natural qualities. The shoe with its sharp fish bones expresses the tragedy of her masochism . Materials: Macarel fish bones, pearls, oysters, fimo, leather. Photo by Arnesto Eisner
Cenerentola Nostra by Allesandrom Brigenti and Tal Arbel for Norman and Bella. Materials: Resin, 3D printing. Photo by Bar Sharir
The Black room, “Dominatrix”, designed by Tali Sorit, Bezalel Academy. Photo by Yoav Zohar
Shelley: did you identify any Israeli characteristics during the curator work, or was the content mainly universal, global?
Yaara: I think that today everyone, that is, everyone who’s connected to popular western culture, has a global perception of high heels
True, in Israel there’s a great fondness for flat shoes, but even so, at most events today, in Israel as well, you can see a significant number of women in high heels.
However, I think that because women tend not to wear these on a day-to-day basis, and our dress culture is a bit more casual, then it’s easier for designers to see this shoe as an object rather than as a clothing item, and to neutralise its comfort and clothing element and concentrate on the artistic aspect that the shoe can express
Above: surrealism at its best. head pieces by Avigail Talmor and Tami Bar-Lev exhibited in “Cinderella Syndrome”, address iconic symbols such as Shciaparelli’s shoe hat and the statue of liberty.
Clockwise from top left: The statue of liberty during its assembly in Paris picture from here; Heed Over Heels by Those Who Pray/Avigail Talmor; Shoe Hat by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali, picture from here; Pretty Woman by Tami Bar-Lev.
Me: a stiletto shoe from your private collection that you particularly love
Yaara: Not stiletto but Prada’s 20 cm. platforms from the Japanese collection, 2013. With these, too, I have a love-fear relationship, and right now I don’t dare to go with them, maybe I’ll go back to wearing them in the future.
The eight-minute interview passed in the blink of an eye
The first visitors were starting to arrive. Yaara was busy straightening hidden corners of signs and other details – precision and perfectionism which she says give her great pleasure. Because in shoes, each millimetre counts and the sky’s the limit.
I was left with my thoughts.
What stilettos and high heels have I ever designed?
Concept, Shelley LewisSandals I designed for B.Unique; sampleShoes I designed for B. Unique, SS 2014
For further reading I invite you to follow my steps and read about the opening evening of the Cinderella Syndrome.
Cinderella Syndrome will be exhibited until the end of the month in Ha’Hava Gallery in Holon.
I’ll be more than happy to hear you feedback and read your comments, I aldo invite you to tell and share your personal stories about shoes and other memories 🙂
A ‘warm up’ post towards the in-depth post about the Cinderella Syndrome exhibition, now exhibiting in Ha’Chava Gallery in Holon exploring beyond the boundaries of stiletto shoes as we know them.So what did we have?The opening on June-18 was hot, just before summer’s hottest heat wave reaches our shores, and there was genuine excitement in the air.The exhibited shoes were fascinating each on its own merit; together they created a colourful, fantastical drama.And there was another drama taking place – the audience! A cool crowd of creative and innovative individuals, proving they understand one or two things about shoes, and who took the concept of “an exhibition” one or two steps forward – into life itself!
Maya and Kobi Gutwein
She’s wearing shoes by Shoemaker, where she worked as a designer for two years. Kobi is wearing shoes by Loading which were bought in France.
The shoe relates to the erotic aspects of Rapunzel.
Most amazing: the yellow hair is real! Additional materials: leather upper and a wooden, leather-covered heel.
Produced by The Guild, Footwear And Fashion Accessories Design School, under the management of Nina Rozin, Kobi Levi, Orit Zaks
Photo: The Guild
Rapunzel’s shoe by Maya Gutwein
Sharon Tal
The designer who brought Maskit fashion house back to life, wearing shoes by Vince
Tal Tsur, the brand’s founder Iota Project ; Iota Project create furniture based on knitted textiles in a technique they have developed. The innovative brand also carries the values of social responsibility. Tal is wearing sandals designed by Theory .
The exhibition’s curator, is wearing sandals by Loeffler Randall
Delicate gold straps amid many fascinating patterns
Aviva is wearing pumps by Nine West. A colourful zebra
It’s not about snakes and ladders, but about snakes and zebras! A colourful Hermes bag flits with all its might.
The sculptress Dorit Levinstein with a bag by Issey Miyake. Geometric, clean, complex simplicity. I loooove the adjustable openings along the strap.
Who’s in the pic: Sharon Ziv, a yoga teacher. Most precise: the shell bracelet. That’s the way to go when wearing Zara sandals! In the background Barak Lahav, fashion designer, wearing New Balance shoes.
Me, in a dialogue with myself:
Me: why the hell did I take this picture with such an open aperture? There’s only about 1.5 mm in focus! All the rest is kind of blurry. What on earth was I thinking??
Myself: You’d better learn for the next exhibition!
Me: This is a once in life time exhibition; the moment was snapped and gone.
So here we are, left with Zara with a hint and tint of focus 🙂
More colours; United Nude, Desigual and a smile
Amelia Naaman from Kfar Saba, owner of “Peace Café”. Wearing shoes by Norman And Bella.
Sandals by Norman and Bella
The riot of colour continues: Amelia Naaman is wearing jewelry designed by Ruth Hassan, and holding a bag bought in an exclusive home sale of imported designer’s items.
Shoes worn by Kay Long. Source: unknown and so mysterious. Classically golden.
Kay Long; a golden mystery
I also met Noa Rubin who exhibited three pairs of shoes. The shoes she is wearing were bought from a Victorian-style website. “I am connected to Gothic style, also in my work” says Noa. And you can also see it in the necklaces she’s wearing: the pink one was bought in the flea market, the black one she made herself; she took apart and re-assembled jewelry items to create her own Gothic fantasy.
Noa Rubin. Her connection to Gothic is her starting point
Noa Rubin. A Gothic puzzle
Bezalel Design Academy;
Noa Rubin; Sacred Pulse
The shoe is created out of and inspired by parchment leather traditionally used for sacred texts. The life force of the parchment itself is reflected in the form and flow of the shoe.
Materials: parchment leather, sole leather, goat skin, fiberglass, beech wood
Technique: wet molding, sewing, hand sculpting and carving.
Instructor: Eli Ginzburg, Bezalel Academy, Jewelry and Fashion Department.
Technique: hand sculpting, wet molding, leather coating
Instructor: Eli Ginzburg, Bezalel Academy, Jewelry and Fashion Department
Photo: Noy Biri
Noa Rubin, a tribute to Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo shoe
Noy Biri was also at the exhibition. She bought the sandals she was wearing on-line. ”This was the first time I’ve bought sandals on-line, and I don’t think I’ll be doing it again”. Why? Because I was missing the fun of trying on the shoe, also, waiting for the sandals to arrive from overseas totally drove me mad. I just couldn’t wait!
Noy Biri, experiments in buying shoes on-line
Noy Biri. Straight lines in black and white on soft materials. In the background: Torn jeans. Noy is holding a catalogue of the exhibition printed in a super-limited edition. Currently the hottest accessory in town.
Dress: Top-Shop New York. Bag designed by Aya Feldman. Ring designed by Noy Biri.
Many desirable items, especially the flamingo-coloured catalogue
Noy Biri; Spanish Dancer
Materials: carbon fibres, beech wood, leather processed from plants, koyo
Bezalel Academy, Jewelry and Fashion Department
Photo: Tal Avisar
Spanish Dancer by Noy Biri
Design: Noy Biri. Photo by Tal Avisar
Rivka Bezalel wearing a dress by Zara. The tattoo is an ancient blessing in Hebrew. Sometimes that’s all you need; a good dress with the right blessing 😉
And the crowning glory (in my view) Rivka is wearing shoes by Sutrah designed by Guild graduate Sahar Abu Seif, who made her debut with an original and high quality collection. Sahar presented her final project at The Guild less than a year ago; in my view the project and the presentation were among the most exciting and beautiful that I’ve seen.
Shoes by Sutrah, Sahar Abu Seif
Yasmin Sasson, manageress of Ha’Chava Gallery, who seemed slightly overwhelmed from the many people who stomped to the opening, wearing Bally shoes
Did I like them?? Yes, indeed! A squarish cut off shaped last is a rare bird in these pointed days.
The shoe resonates functionality and steadiness straight from the 1940’s style.
Shoes by Bally
I loved: the mix with the zippered dress
Enter a caption
Oren Rehani: actor and portrait photographer who recently returned after 12 years in Los Angeles, wearing Fly London sandals. What’s interesting? Wide straps and wide buckle in men’s sandals. What’s even more interesting: the edges of the straps are slightly filed down creating a graphic line along the edges; shiny leather versus rough surfaces. Exquisite details, hidden drama.
Sandals by Fly London
Rosario is wearing flip flops by Raf Simons, created in a limited edition. Bought in Fred Segal, Los Angeles
And what was I wearing? Sandals I designed for Yoopi Shoes
What’s fun about them? Leather manufactured using ecological processes that don’t pollute. Laser cut on the front strap, and really comfortable heel and sole
And why are they photographed this way?? Because I forgot to take a picture of me! I was too infatuated by all that was happening around me. All was so amazing and fun.
Enlightened stiletto shoe
Two final photos of shoes from a totally different aspect – lighting
Creation presented by Rotem Gur of Vas and Crafts: metaphysical glass shoe. How does all this happen? Screening wine glasses on to the wall creates a silhouette of stiletto heels
Why did I love this? Original, and created with lighting, without materials
And it’s even more interesting to see such work from a designer who creates the shoes with her own hands and has mastered the secrets and creation of sandals.
Vas and Crafts. And lights
Through the peeping hole: a kind of romantic dream in a pink fluffy cloud. And what is the outcome of this pink dream? Yep, you are right – Cinderella Syndrome! 🙂 So beware and watch your steps:)
The course has been running at Shenkar for 14 years, headed by Gillian Golan and Hagar ben Shalom
Moderators for the current course: Gillian Golan who specializes in business development in the field of design and Yoav Miller, a sculptor who has brought a new and fresh perspective to the design department.
Why I’m there: I was invited, as a guest critic to give an appraisal on the students’ work
Me. A critic? More on this at the end of the post. Stay tuned 🙂
Presentation at Shenkar; dramatic, beautiful and funny too. Photo by Mark GrossmanYael Uliel; lecturer at Shenkar; An interesting dialogue between lecturers and students. Photo by Mark Grossman
The course on display windows is a unique course within the framewrk of the Department of Jewelry at Shenkar. After 4 years during which the students design in the scale of millimeters, they are asked to design a display window two meters high. They probably feel like Lilliputian in the land of the Giants. Apparently this is also the first time that they experience their jewelry from the commercial aspect of a display window. The aim: to transform a good concept into a harmonious window that will create this “must have” feeling and make passersby stop, desire and forget all about their plans for that day!
Gulliver in the land of the Little People and the Giants, illustration by Otto Ernst Schmidt. Drawing from here
Every two months five different students present the display window they have designed. This is a year’s course so the teaching staff make sure that the students will give their blood, sweat and tears throughout the year; designing is first of all a process and research, and only then are the design decisions expressed in material and the small details.
So who do we have this time?
Mary Grossman
Mary’s window is painted yellow with touches of ochre which break it far from the CMYK yellow but still leave it close to the circle of bold colours. Mary chose a central element in her jewelry design – a fold line that creates a three-dimensional structure with a clean look – and used it on a large scale in order to create aluminium display surfaces. Each surface is a unique design yet still a clear and uniform language. The aluminium surfaces define a display area within the large window, leaving a yellow surround, which is exactly what our eyes and soul crave for.
Mary has also designed shoes inspired by the architect Dominique Perrault and they continue Mary’s design language: folds, fragmenting, and building anew through a variety of materials – leather, silver and plastic. The final result of the shoes is a combination of serious avant garde with a dash of darkness; just the way we love it 😉
Shoes inspired by architect Dominique Perrault. I love its folds and the geometric sensation.
Image from Mary Grossman’s website
Mary Grossman’s chess board. Folds, bold colours and a clean look; style with a clear hand writing
Image from Mary Grossman’s website
Chain of hearts, response to one of the narratives that occupies the jewelry world – a heart is the most widely sold shape in jewelry.
Image from Mary Grossman’s websiteFrom Mary’s display window; detailMary Grossman’s display window
Two windows, two colours which tell so many stories.
Photo by Mark GrossmanBatya Wang, Lecturer at Shenkar. Photo by Mark Grossman
Liraz Borstain
Liraz presented an aesthetic and precise window at a high standard. The items are presented on panels that echo and resonate the jewelry. How did she do this?
Elastic bands were her starting point. The same elastic bands used for wax injection. She incorporated them to create surfaces into which she poured silicone. Does this go without saying? No, absolutely no! This is a technique developed by Liraz herself.
The general sensation is of floating archeology, as if an historical secrete is revealed to us, sharing with us its ancient pink spell. Liraz’s jewelry are created from a variety of materials and textiles, in integrated technologies
Liraz Borstain; floating archeology in dream like smoky colours.
In the picture three pieces of Liraz’s jewelry:
The piece on the right is made from biased cut ribbons and beads,
The middle piece is made from biased cut ribbons and metal,
The smaller pendants on the left are made from synthetic threads using heating technique
Liraz Borstain; technique, materials, designBag by Liraz Borstain
Maya Shoshan
Combined inspiration from Britain and Africa which were an endless source of inspiration for her during her studies, but this time she decided to also make a stopover in Casablanca, which danced in the background in a blue print image and three-dimensional elements which served as connectors and hooks on which she presented the jewelry. Maya is a creator who follows the charm of beauty, and she blends eclectic elements in a way that sparks inspiration. We didn’t fully understand the flight path she chose: Britain-Casablanca-the depths of Africa, but hey, who said design is all about logic? In Maya’s hands this turns this into an aesthetic logic.
As a designer who usually falls in love mainly with the idea, I wondered about this. Yael Ulliel described this beautifully when she suggested refining the terms so as to create a more exact and integrated design.Yet Maya’s love of the magic of beauty transcends above all this, or as Uri Samt summarized: your noise is not noisy, harmonious noisy.
English horse, African bag and Moroccan decoration. A new logic in a rich and global world.
Photos by Maya ShoshanEclectic royalty from the land of legends. Photos by Maya ShoshanMaya Shoshan’s display windowNecklace desinged by Maya Shoshan. Photo by Maya Shoshan
Tal Efraim
Placed in the window large pages which resemble a gigantic sketch book. (Haven’t we’ve said Lilliput already?? 🙂 Tal has created order in the space, first by the sketch book, which is smaller than the window. An excellent decision; you don’t have to use all the window, sometimes the ’emptiness’ defines the center and the essential. To the sketch book Tal added an element from the world of sewing – a large red stitch which creates a grid along the page from which the connectors sprout, the hooks which serve to display the jewelry. The transition between the red stitch and the red metal hooks is almost invisible – it’s not obvious to create such an harmonious transition between two different materials, so that they will look almost as one.
Items from Tal Efraim’s display window. Brass jewelry.A detail from Tal Efraim’s display window
Jewelry designed by Tal Efraim. On the right, silver ring, a model that was built and printed in 3D, and zircons. In the centre a pendant set with garnets and on the left a brooch from 925 silver and pure silver inside.
Image by Tal Efraim
Brooches made of silver plated brass. Tal already created a relief by hand during the wax stage, before the metal was poured. The black stones – Swarovski stones in a limited edition
Image by Tal Efraim
What else would we just loooove to see: adding pages so we get more of this ‘sketch book’ feeling, and connecting the sketch book to the background using the red stitch instead of the aluminium pole. In my opinion a less shiny background would also add. Extra brilliant: the little irregularities of the threads which pop out of the sides and bottom of the sketch book; escaping the order. To me this felt like a dash of good British humour – a (very) little wink taking place in the margins 😉
Interesting items from Tal Efraim’s display window: elements that “escape” from the sketch book. One of them is even sewn into the wall
Tal Efraim’s funky escaping details
Hadar Shragai
Displayed her jewelry on a background that combines recycled wood coated in concrete with the stucco technique, a technique characterised by coating, planing and so forth, like a soft sculpture on the concrete and wood. The result exposes the wood from between the concrete which is painted in blue and similar to the woodwork found in some of her jewelry designs. A (slightly) more detailed explanation about stucco at the end of the post.
The division of the background into four panels refreshes and contributes to the composition, and the light colour lends softness and leaves centre stage to the jewelry.
Hadar’s display window; details.HadarLing’s jewelry design. Image by Hadar ShragaiJewerlry degisn, Hadar Shragai. Image by HadarHadarling; a stand for business cards in the spirit of the display window.
What people were wearing and a little more atmosphere
Mary is wearing Adidas sneakers in a colour reminiscent of Liraz’s window. Did they plot this together? 😉
Oh Melissa, you are so stylish
Several levels above the regular snacks; stylish catering! Missing in this picture: the fine wine and sweet watermelons which were part of the fun.
Photo by Mark Grossman
The presentation has ended, and where am I in the big, or small picture?
After the presentation I met up with friends.
“I was at a presentation at Shenkar”, I told them, “Is was invited to be a critic, and I am not crazy about the word critic. When I was studying design the criticism wasn’t ‘my cup of tea’. I think everyone suffers from this at one level or other. I am looking for an alternative word. I thought of feedback. But that’s also not so great”
“Mentor, you’re a mentor!”, Niva said
“No”, I said, “mentor is for someone who’s studied, who has education and training”.
Perhaps we could call it a design dialogue, or a creative conversation? I don’t know, let’s leave it for the moment as an open and wild question. One day I’ll understand who I am and what my role is in Lilliput, the land of Giants and the Little People.
Further reading;
In Hebrew about the creative process and design process. If you find your way in this biblical language the following posts are really cool and interesting
From Mina Protnov-Mashan’s “Migdala” blog, a series of three posts about design thinking. For the first post, second and third.
From Carina Weber’s blog, The Trilogy of Creation; part one, two and three.
Shoe I designed for Nubikk
The sketches are a (small) part of the entire design process
Additional lecturers
Who took part in the presentation and contributed their experience, knowledge and insights to the lively discussion about display windows
Sharon Keren, current head of the department
Uri Samt, incoming head of the department
Batya Wang
Yael Ulliel
Uriel Miron
And of course the moderators Gillian Golan and Yoav Miller
More about Stucco
The attached description is based on an explanation I received from Hadar – another minute and I’ll start plastering by myself 🙂 The word stucco describes a certain type of plaster which is used as a surface finish.
The first layer on the blue panels of Hadar’s display window are made from compressed OCB wood. Hadar used the wood as a means of creating the main composition of the panels, the three-dimensional structure
Above this is a netting combined with a semantic splattering ( I learnt many new terms about plaster!) – crude plaster that can be used for building and sculpturing and on top of that, the queen of the layers – the stucco! Two very thin layers of plaster. Before the plaster dries it’s polished with cotton material, a process which creates a shine and gives the whole window its unique appearance
And to summarize the process: at the end of the day caressing and gentle strokes is what we really love and need . Remember this when you are on the way from the Land of the Little People to the Land of the Giants 🙂
Cenerentola Nostra by Allesandrom Brigenti and Tal Arbel for 
uncodedstepsdotcom 