Life and sole: footwear from the Islamic world
Small exhibition
at the British Museum looking at shoes from the Islamic World examining the
idea that shoes reflect identity, profession, status and lifestyle.
There was a
useful map showing the extent of the area the shoes came from with pictures of
the distinctive styles from each place. I loved a quote from a North African
proverb “Luxury begins the day a man starts wearing shoes.”
There were some
lovely pieces in this exhibition such as a pair of red tapestry boots from
Morocco and gold paisley loafers from Pakistan but I didn’t feel any sense of
narrative just a collection of interesting pieces.
I’d often noticed
that shoes from these areas of the world seem to have flattened backs to them
and this show pointed out it’s so they can be slipped off easily when entering
a home or the mosque. Obvious really when you think about it.
I loved the fact
there were two pairs of shoes owned and worn by some of the curators, a pair of
loafers hand made in Aleppo and a pair of child’s Turkish slippers! It was also
a nice touch to include a shoe shine box.
Closes on 15 May
2016.
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