These Shoes Are Made For Thinking

Albert Van Der Weide

Unique sculpture, 1 of 10 shoes, 2017.

Part of Jan Jansen Shoe Treasures, original shoe Jan Jansen originals various clogs (1970-1990).

Van der Weide took his work outside. In front of Arnhem’s Central Station he placed Jansen’s shoes on the pavement and interacted with bystanders and passers-by. He chose the station as he found it – a beautiful metaphor for travelling from A to B. This is something that is entirely characteristic of Van der Weide’s work: everything always seems to come together. The moment he sets out to have a conversation, Albert shares his knowledge and receives new information. At the same time, a newspaper article does a deep dive on clogs from the Middle Ages. When he meets Jan Jansen to discuss the project, he is intrigued by the way Jansen handles the shoe: he sees the lifelong experience in his hands. To him, it combines a very practical touch and a mix of love, respect and magic. All these aspects and details are stored in Van der Weide’s mind and come together in the process. Bit by bit, Van der Weide experiments with how much can be done to the shoe while it clearly remains a shoe. In the end, he has transformed 10 shoes into autonomous objects, yet succeeded making of them a family of shoes. These shoes are made for thinking.

Dimensions 84 x 118 cm.

© Jan Jansen Shoe Treasures, photo Charlotte Visser.


© 2024 Virtual Shoe Museum