Eight Pairs of Woven Sneakers Match for Cranes Roost in a Discipline of Pebbles — Colossal


If a white crane had been to decide on a pair of trainers, would he gravitate towards knee-high lace-ups or steadiness his talons in yellow tabi stilettos?

Younger In Hong original a group of footwear with these long-legged birds in thoughts. Titled “White Cranes and Snowfall,” the playful sculptures are produced from woven sedges and nested in a shallow discipline of pebbles, intertwining references to avian life and endangered craft traditions.

a collection woven straw boots shaped like bird legs

Based mostly in Bristol, Hong visited Korea within the winter of 2023 and witnessed a flock of uncommon cranes migrating to the demilitarized zone dividing the peninsula. “The as soon as blood-stained DMZ has now grow to be an ecological paradise for the cranes,” she shares. “When nature is left alone it might probably replenish its lives, and after we as people observe different species extra fastidiously, we will study one thing from them that alters our means of being on this planet.”

Researchers estimate that within the seven a long time because the zone was established, about “1,200 plant species, 83 fish varieties, 51 totally different mammals, and quite a few birds, bugs, and microorganisms” have thrived within the space, lots of which had been beforehand endangered or threatened.

Observing the birds impressed the newest collection in Hong’s rising assortment of avian footwear. Every references jipsin, flat sandals woven from straw and largely worn by farmers and the working class all through Korea. Inexpensive and broadly out there, the footwear would put on down rapidly—a protracted day’s stroll may burn by means of a pair—and other people throughout the socioeconomic order knew learn how to make them. Straw is biodegradable, too, making jipsin naturally sustainable.

To study the craft practiced for generations, Hong started working with Choong Kyung Lee, a straw-weaving grasp from Asan in 2021. Collectively, they created quite a few initiatives, together with footwear match for a child elephant, giraffe, kangaroo, heron, gorilla, and bear. “For me, the collaboration with Lee was a journey to open up my eyes in the direction of pure fibre weaving, part of the historical past of Korea that has not been completely written about,” Hong shared.

For “White Cranes and Snowfall,” the artist pulled out particular personalities to encourage every design somewhat than pondering of the birds as nameless entities. Displayed collectively, the sculptures grow to be a stand-in for neighborhood and gathering—and maybe a cheeky and but pressing plea to think about oneself in one other’s footwear, even when these footwear belong to a different species. The artist provides:

For me, fictionalising the collective white cranes, and visualising them by means of humorously designed footwear, is to remind us of the truth that birds are like us, expressing tastes and preferences, additionally by having individually totally different characters and personalities.

“White Cranes and Snowfall” is on view by means of November 7 at Secession in Vienna. Two of Hong’s textile works are additionally on view this month as a part of the seventh Changwon Sculpture Biennale, and he or she’s at the moment making ready for 2 solo exhibits, one opening at Artwork Sonje Middle in Could and one other at PKM Gallery in September. Peruse an archive of her works on her web site and Instagram.

a pair of white and yellow woven straw boots shaped like bird legs
a collection woven straw boots shaped like bird legs
a collection woven straw boots shaped like bird legs
a collection woven straw boots shaped like bird legs



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