Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Middle Eastern Shoe Art Renaissance™ Spreads to the Philippines


Protesters display a huge shoe effigy prior to hurling it at the Israeli Embassy at Manila's financial district of Makati city on Tuesday Jan. 6, 2009 in continuing protest against Israeli attacks in Gaza. Protesters condemned both Israel and the United States for the alleged 'brutal and bloody all-out military invasion of Gaza' and urge the United Nations to sanction Israel for bombings. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)


It's barely 6AM and already a banner day for the MESAR. This event, obviously, reminds one again of Claes Oldenberg, but this coordinated absurdist street activity is unmistakably patterned more after the work of Oldenberg's cohort, Happenings conductor Allen Kaprow. And, thus, another obscure movement is revived by the crafty shoe artists.

Here they are hurling their creation:



13 comments:

Karen Zipdrive said...

Where is Kenneth Cole in all this?

Lau said...

Princess, I really wish I could take a class in art history from you. Three birds with one stone: brush up on 20th C figures, keep on top of political goings-on, and increase the hilarity in my life.

Matthew Hubbard said...

When Bush is gone,
Will shoes live on?
Yes, life is short,
But art is long.

Diane Griffin said...

Ah, so beautiful. Also, it seems like the movement has taken on a life of its own, as this new shoe seems to have nothing directly to do with Iraq or even the US at all.

I predict we will be seeing ripples from MESAR(tm) for many years to come.

Diane Griffin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I just have to say that this whole MESAR thread by you, PSP, is truly genius. You deserve some sort of award. It is simply fabulous.

Civic Center said...

"And as happens when anything anywhere gets trendy," the Philippines will totally transform it. Love the pics, and have to confess that I prefer the Manila Shoe to most of Oldenberg's recent work.

Anonymous said...

Why do I have this sudden urge to go barefoot?

Anonymous said...

wasn't there a band once called Shoeless in Gaza?

dguzman said...

Look at the lift and velocity they got on that shoe toss! Future Olympic category? You decide.

Anonymous said...

Shoe Art is a big hit on the Palmetto Expressway. Thousands of work boots, bath slippers, tennis shoes, beach sandals and roller blades littered the southbound lanes, disrupting traffic for hours. Probably a big warning for Jeb.

Osgon said...

First, kudos to PSP for identifying, quantifying, and tracking the growing "MESAR" movement. Pure genius. But should it be limited just to the "ME" given the movement's spreading influence? What about Universal/Global/WorldWide/Pangenic/Papier-Mache/Papier Colle/etc Shoe Art Renaissance?

Second, to CT: The band was actually called "Eyeless in Gaza." The name referred to a novel of the same name by Aldous Huxley (who, in turn, took the name from a phrase in Milton's Samson's Agonistes).

Drama Queen said...

Delete me if you will, my love. But
WHAT ABOUT BILL? I keep refreshing your site to commiserate but . . . nothing.

Holding it all in could cause your head to explode*. I only post this because I care.

(*which would ruin your own hairdo.)