This shoe sculpure is part of a series of 20 sculptures of shoes dedicated to the most relevant women in history, literature, cinema and comics. This project has been commissioned by Superstudio Milan and ANCI, and chosen as opening event for the MICAM 2006.
Dorothy (Frank Baum’s 'Wizard of Oz')
The cyclone, a little dog, a child, Dorothy, three fellows travellers as the Coward Lion, The Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and an adventure, not that different from “Alice in Wonderland” to the discovery of the world. Unlike Carroll, Frank Baum is more good-natured and doesn’t hides any perversion in his novel, he rather shows how to run along a road and teaches us how to find courage in ourselves to reach our goals, overcoming our own fears through obstacles more appropriate to children’s skills. The bad witch and the good one, are faces of the same coin, a sort of yin and yang where the child can mirror herself and take decision. The wizard of Oz is an important work for the American imaginary. It is a fairytale that differs from European fiction and it is quoted in many films, as “Zardoz” a 1973 sci-fi film, that includes into its title the words “Wizard if Oz”. Zardoz is in fact the name of a cruel divinity that will later reveal his false and absolutely human (as the charlatan of the Wizard of Oz, exactly) or in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where the protagonist, Lula often remarks her desire to go “over the rainbow”.
“Over the rainbow” is also the title of the famous song that Judy Garland sings in the Fleming’s Wizard of Oz. Lula beats her heels 3 times, imaging, as Dorothy, to be at home again.
Her sandal is made of red velvet, now with just a little string for she has walked a long way and now there is just a tin made heel to hold up, as tin –made was her friend. This sandal is covered by soft plush, remembrance of another fellow traveller which finds himself the courage along his journey.
Courtesy of Daniele Fontana at Whitenoisephotography 2007.
