Above: Shoe design by Tania Crowell.
Students in Associate Professor Asuka Goto's two Foundation Design II classes had a heel of a problem. They had one week to create a pair of cardboard shoes that could support their body weight.
"The class introduces students to an array of basic sculptural materials, like paper, cardboard and wire," Goto said. "Each of these materials has inherent strengths and weaknesses."
In addition to having to bear the weight of the wearer, the shoes had to elevate the body at least six inches off the ground.
"Although cardboard is often thought of as flimsy, it can actually serve as a structural building material if you know how to work with it properly," said Goto. "So this project served as both a design and an engineering exercise."
Shoe design by Emma Young.
Some of the students who participated are Nani Sidney-Keith, Gabriella Ellis, Emma Patricco, Tania Crowell, Diane McComas, Rachel Cowley, Emma Young, Madison McHugh and Lee Calder. See the designs on Goto's Instagram, and in the BFA Student Exhibition.
