Saturday, May 2, 2009

Thinking differently, right down to your tippy toes

Posted by Bettina Tizzy

While I maintain that no other platform can rival virtual worlds for thinking differently about design - and specifically Second Life® and OpenSim where user-created content is not only possible but encouraged - my pulse still quickens when I come across innovations by Real Life mavericks.

One such designer is Netherlands-born, London-based and award-winning artist Marloes ten Bhömer. Her brainchildren actually belong on our feet, and offer an alternative to existing design languages.





Marloes' shoes, which are more architectural than fashionable, afford women the incredibly rare chance of freedom from conventional style clichés and codes. Everything about her approach is different, including the materials she works with: carbon fiber and stainless steel, among others.




Many thanks to artist AM Radio for the toes up on Marloes' shoes.

1 comments:

someone somewhere said...

"afford women the incredibly rare chance of freedom from conventional style clichés and codes"

... while in general, I agree, I feel compelled to point out that, at least in the pics you posted, the one thing she has not escaped is the High Heel. I really want to see someone make some awesome kickass stylish sexy and/or artful shoes that do not involve the enslavement to the high heel, which, if we're really honest, is not healthy for the feet.

This is one of the advantages of a virtual world - you can wear things that irl could damage your body physically. I do enjoy the way high heels look, and I understand that's probably why this artist made that choice. It is, however, still a "style cliche and code".

So, can we please have some non-fugly flats nao? ;P