#KillerHeels
Extraordinary exhibit that highlights the basic components of the art of the heel. Heels are not only iconic pieces of fashion but also are social dynamics that evolve according to a certain set of tenets that are specific to each generation. This exhibit reviews these specific evolutions through a selection that showcase their utility, their art, and their effect and meaning to society.
The exhibit is divided onto 6 categories which exemplify the evolution of the heel and instead of following a chronological outline; it focuses on these main tenets to bring about a cohesive exhibit. These are such categories: Architecture, Glamour & Fetish, Metamorphosis, Revival & Reinterpretation, Rising in the East, Space Walk.
The exhibit includes a series or rather an anthology of videos, highly stylized, breathtaking and each has, just like each room, a different outlook and purpose. Here are some images from the videos
According to the Brooklyn Museum’s website Nick Knight, Steven Klein, Marilyn Minter, Rashaad Newsome, Ghada Amer, Reza Farkhondeh and Zach Gold are the contributing artist to these videos. There is one video where this girl tries to wear and walk in this pair shoes which turns out to be quite a feat. The video exploits the idea behind the lengths of subjection the wearers will put themselves to conform to arbitrary standards of beauty.
This exhibit amazes me because of the way of its design, the subject matter and how it was handle. There is one thing which I do not understand about the display as to why it was intended in such a way. Most of the heels were display on vitrines at the waist level. They look like vitrines at a jewelry store. I was thinking why were they not at eye-level? Looking at those shoes from above does not let you appreciate all the things the exhibit tries to showcase. One has to look at the shoes from the side to fully embrace and comprehend their beauty. I was wondering if this was intentional to showcase the shoes at waist level so people have to bend down to look at them. I thought this was a form of reverse sadism of subjecting to lean down to look at the heels from the side and thus perpetuating the true idea of the heels and the exhibit…the can kill you.
