The 6-week program will start with lectures and discussions about the significance of shoes in society. Shoes have always been closely linked with identity and social status, key issues for adolescent girls, from the chopines of 16th century Venice, to Manolo Blahnik stilettos, to the The Aphrodite Project: Platforms, which opens the conversation to issues of sex, sex work, the role of contemporary artists in society, police protection and personal safety.
After this, students will start work on the design and functionality of their own shoe projects, developing hacks based on their individual experiences and needs. We will work beyond aesthetic concerns, investigating issues of personal safety and utility – what would be helpful for young women today who navigate the streets of New York City. Research will be accompanied by sketching, brainstorming and debate until two final designs are created, with functionality dictated by the students. Hacks will range from simple to complex, from hidden compartments to LEDs and alarm systems.
The GEV participants will also meet and work alongside two of Eyebeam’s current Research & Development Fellows, Ayah Bdeir and Jessica Banks, highly skilled female engineers whose work as artists and designers operates in concert with the project. The participating Eyebeam Fellows will discuss their practice with regards to developing physical computing projects related to issues of cultural and feminine identity, and support the design and fabrication process of the GEV shoes.
The program will end with a runway show and book launch of Sabine Seymour's Fashionable Technology: The Intersection of Design, Fashion, Science and Technology, on May 22. Girls Eye View: Project Walkway begins March 27 and runs Thursdays through May 8.
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