Shoes are a personal effect. When seen abandoned and in places where they are clearly out of place they affect us more than other item of clothing would. When entering a space, such as the old train yard in Sevilla, Spain where the below pictures are taken, shoes create an intimidating feeling of intrusion. It was like walking around someone else's house without their permission, trespassing, and this added an element of adrenaline to the hour we spent in there.
I'm not sure if it is a personal association, or if its more general through the portrayal of World War II, but when confronted with these items, instantly imagery and thoughts of the holocaust encroached into my imagination, and in particular a trip to Daniel Libeskind's jewish museum in Berlin.
"Ian Evans points out that shoes are the only piece of clothing that retain their human shape after being taken off. He says they act as a defiant, permanent, reminder to the spiritual world, of the primacy of human beings."
Concealed Shoes: Australian Settlers and an Old Superstition
Article published on ww.bbc.co.uk
