Ever see a
shoe tree ?
No it’s not
this.
It’s
this :
or
or this
Some people
think Shoefiti, known as shoe tossing or Lancer
de Chausseurs in French, is a form
of gang communication. See this wikipedia article on Shoe tossing. Holy moly, aren’t we paranoid.
Here is an
article I love on shoetrees. Roadside America
Anyone who
loves Street Art, like myself, believes it’s all about the fun, and the
exposure. Tossing athlete's foot spores to the wind is not the
exposure I’m talking about. Street
artists want exposure, they force it on you.
In urban environments tagging and Street Art is ubiquitous, so much so,
we don’t see it anymore. It’s nearly as
invisible as copy. Like copywriting.
Though Street Art is about exposure, I think Shoe Tossing is an intimate gest. You have this pair of shoes you love, which
have witnessed great and terrible moments in your life. You can’t throw them away because they embody
your experience like certain songs you play until your family tells you they’ll
strangle you. Those shoes you love so
much, that you wore until you felt the tarmac on the ball of your foot. You have to memorialize them some how. No one will want them, not with your fungus
and that hole the size of a peach stone.
Can’t give them to Goodwill. Can’t toss them in the trash. It’s like throwing away a slice of your
life. You honor them and toss them
over a wire, on a street near home or work, at night when nobody is
watching. At night because, no, those are
not your shoes, they just look like a pair you owned.
I threw a
pair of shoes off a ferry into the Mediterranean and over the Ponte Vecchio
bridge. No one knew, until now. I remember one of those pairs. I remember shopping for them. One was black roach-killer ankle boots. Sigh.
The other I can’t remember and now they’re probably in a shark’s belly.
It is
believed that Shoe Tossing has folk origins, this article states it has to do with “ancient ceremony or rite in connection with the transfer of property".
The
techniques of Shoefiti often include shoes with laces and a strong arm. It helps if you aren’t sloshed or if you can free
climb. Lazy souls can throw them off
their balconies. Long laces help. But shoefiti isn't relegated to lace-ups. Shoetrees someties have themes.
 |
| Pump Shoetree from Roadside America |
In Paris,
Shoefiti is always visible around rue Mouffetard and in Butte aux Cailles. There is even a Sponge Bob hanging on a wire on rue Monge, but he doesn' count, he's a heel
Where have
you tossed your shoes? Send me your
photos and I’ll post them here.
