In the summer of 2015, a group of Pratt students traveled to Antigua, Guatemala to work with artisans and learn about their craft and culture.
Materials were sourced locally from neighborhoods that specialized in a particular craft.
Patterns were made in an entirely traditional manner, but the designs were highly contemporary.
Each shoe was entirely handmade by craftsmen, using simple artisan tools that required more skill than contemporary methods.
I worked with local shoe makers to learn traditional shoe making techniques practiced in the local neighborhood of Pastores. Having a background in automated mass production, I was drawn to understand their process and investigate the creation of value through handcraft. I chose to adapt these traditional construction techniques into a new aesthetic to preserve these skills while avoiding the atavistic connotations of traditional designs. The trip was an illuminating exploration into the production not only of material goods, but of sentimentality and the "soft value" of establishing a relationship with the craftspeople behind the objects in our lives.