A tree displaying shoes in Nevada gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘shoe tree’ (a device for preserving the shape of the shoe). These instruments are also made from wood – but there the similarity ends. What intrigues me about all these shoes is how they have managed to display them all, securing them into what looks like a very tall tree. Were they all done by the same person or individuals? Are there any pairs of shoes in there – or are they all odd?
It’s strange to think of all these shoes baking away in Nevada in the summer and frozen in the winter, though no stranger than the shoes or other objects preserved by water at famous prophetess Mother Shipton ‘s petrifying well in Knaresborough Yorkshire.
This is one of England’s oldest visiting attraction (1630). The magical qualities of the water preserve by petrification the objects (including shoes) which are displayed.
Mother Shipton (Ursula Southill) herself was said to have been born in a nearby cave and prophesied many happenings. Her prophesies took the form of poems, but there is still some debate about her authorship.
Today is the birthday of conceptual portrait photographer and film director Cindy Sherman. Sherman was born in New Jersey USA 1954. She received the MacArthur award in 1995 and currently lives and works in New York. She studied visual art at Buffalo State college, abandoning painting for photography.
Her work is both thought-provoking and evocative. As well as directing and modeling, she has also collaborated on advertisements with designer Marc Jacobs and designed album covers for the band American Babes in Toyland.
video by innertubevideo with thanks!
Don’t forget the Hepworth Echo Poetry challenge which is still going strong over on my Bookstains!