They say that copying is the sincerest form of flattery, in which case these classic ballet flats must be all flattered out! Quintessential Parisian style, ambiguously formal yet casual, just enough shine for your dime, tried, tested, replicated....and for good reason. My slipper radar begins to detect a fellow believer in the power of the slipper, that if a shoe can say so much about you and what you do, then make sure its the top shoe for the job.... and you may as well send in an army of them for good measure.
So I step out of my slippers, and step into a spare pair of Sarah Crowley's signature shoes; architect by day and jewellery designer, inventor and zoologist (just to make sure she's covered all bases) by night....
After having spent many years exploring the architectural realm of the very large, Sarah found herself, (much to her surprise), enraptured with the detail and layering capabilities of all things small. With a palette of perspex, cardboard, leather and masking tape, Sarah began to embark on a journey into nano-worlds and their creation. A collaboration with friend and architect Michael Ong, these perspex brooches are a voyeuristic ode to the childhood doll house; a slice of domestic life, where laser-cut silhouettes are stacked, coupled and tripled resulting in a scene that has depth, shadow and a strange sense that you're perving through some one's window.
From a slice of domestic life to a slice of the city; an urban pancake stack of perspex bangles with masking tape highlights, each complete with a different layer of Melbourne; properties on streets on contours, and to be worn as an information-rich whole. An accidental discovery really, admits Sarah open-heartedly. The masking tape started out as merely a protective coating during the laser-cutting process and worked its way up to land the leading role when pieces just didn't want to peel off.... now that's some masking tape that knows what it wants in life! Perhaps one of the best examples of accidental discoveries turned wondrous creation that I've seen in years, (far more intriguing than that Penicillin guy....)
Seemingly fictional, but entirely factual is Sarah's shortlisted entry into this year's International Tesseract 'Trash to Treasure' Competition. Upon many visits to demolition yards (and the occasional skip dive), it was noted by Sarah that the countless discarded sanitary fittings could be something of an untapped building resource. They are white and shiny, with inherent designerly curves and a non-porous and hence very clean surface (once disinfected of course). These everyday sculpted modules could be applied to sustainable building in a plethora of ways; from loo-vers (as pictured above left), planter box cisterns (top right) and pan facade systems (bottom right.) My hot tip, to incorporate some of those charming 50s peach-tone toilets next time....just for a splash of colour.
Just when you were wondering about that zoologist part....
With animals as her cause and after seeing an ancient logbook of first animal sightings at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Sarah sought to continue a legacy. The Dwark was born. Part aardvark, part hedgehog and part sloth, Dwarks had been touted as the animals that weren't invited onto Noah's Ark, poor dears, but thankfully brought into the limelight by the startling extents of Sarah's imagination.
As a gift for her brother, all facets of the Dwarks' existence have been chartered; varying species, bodily quirks, defence mechanisms or lack thereof. Now meekly migrating across Sarah's coffee table, a herd of these bewildering beasts were carefully crafted to accompany the logbook entry in her signature layered perspex. Echoed throughout this story is that notion of repetition of difference, that can be said for many of Sarah's projects. Where small yet precise elements are repeated and repeated, each being slightly altered after the other, culminating in unified clusters rich with detail, fact and/or fiction. If the patent leather ballet flats say it all, it is that Sarah's work champions thoughtful simplicity, subtle yet powerful variation and strength in numbers - not to mention all things shiny; perspex and glistening toilets ahoy!
You can see more of Sarah's work on her wonderful blog:
www.sararchitecture.blogspot.com
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