26 September, 2009

No sole

One of the things I love about modern architecture is the interplay of art and engineering; neither purely fanciful nor purely utilitarian but a combination of both.

A particularly fine example is the 'Mojito' shoe designed by architect Julian Hakes: a single curved and folded strip of carbon fibre (laminated with rubber and leather) forming a high-heeled shoe lacking a footplate. As Hakes observed, weight is carried by the ball and heel of a foot, so he was able to omit the standard linking element and produce a striking, attractive and functional object.

Inasmuch as any high-heeled shoe is functional, but let's not pursue that topic....