A Personal Collection: Of Vivienne Westwood Shoes

A Personal Collection: Of Vivienne Westwood Shoes

A Personal Collection: Of Vivienne Westwood Shoes is an exhibition currently on show at the @Gallery at the Barnsley Civic. This show is an absolute must for anyone remotely interested in fashion and of course shoes. Everyone of the eighty plus pairs of shoes on display is a masterpiece in itself! The collection itself, spans several decades of the designer’s illustrious career! From seemingly simple black heels with auspicious spikes potruding from the rear to the infamous, incredibly high platforms that saw Naomi Campbell spilled on a Paris catwalk, there is certainly something on display to catch the interest of everyone.

The exhibition is a testament to all the talent that not only went into the shoes, but into the exhibition. Having seen the gallery many times, it has been completely transformed into an atmospheric temple to the footwear on display. The moody lighting, the photographs, the quotes on display and the video all stand to direct attention and emphasise the shoes themselves and each exquisite pair commands just as much attention as the rest! No small feat considering the sheer amount on display.  This exhibition is clearly a labour of love by the entire team at the Civic and even though I was involved in early stages, I can assure you the exhibit screams triumphantly of the work put into it!

I had the immense pleasure and honour of working to create the photographs for the publicity material for this exhibition and I must say, every pair of shoes I got to photograph is a wonder! Though I was working under the close and astute art direction of David Sinclair, the mastermind behind the exhibit, I was still granted enough creative freedom as to photograph the shoes as they spoke to me! I must say that the several months I put into this material are by far some of the most rewarding and genuinely satisfying that I have had yet! Though I won’t go into details about the work put into it in this post, I must reiterate the honour of being granted such a dream job!

The exhibition has been on display since May and only has a week left on show as it finishes this Saturday, the 17th of July! If it strikes your fancy, I wholly recommend paying a visit to the Civic before it finishes to take in this breathtaking display!

Also, The Civic have created a limited edition run of postcards to accompany the exhibition. The high quality set features ten of the images I created for the exhibit including the four above. If you’d like a set of these postcards but cannot make it to the exhibit, please let me know via the contact forms on the site and I can arrange a set for you. The set is £5 plus P&P.