This pair of sneakers were made for my dear friend and roommate, Chris Hales (AKA DJ Tapedek/AKA Mookie). He passed away in 2010. In Chinese culture, we burn paper money so the spirit can take these notes with them to the afterlife. These papers are called joss paper. In contemporary culture, they have included paper cell phone, paper credit cards and paper boats.
I made a pair of sneakers for Chris to take with him. He loved his sneakers and he always had the perfect pair to match his outfit. One of the pair was burned at the end of the his tribute show entitled ‘Tapedek: the afters cool show’ in April 2010, in a gathering of his friends.
