Posts Tagged ‘Sole Sisters Film’
SHOE CONFESSIONAL Featured On KERA Radio
Shoe notes from Alyx The Intern
Alyx – The Intern: February 2, 2012
On Tuesday I was given the opportunity to accompany Cynthia to Neiman Marcus’ downtown store where she interviewed Burt Tansky, former group CEO. Mr. Tansky worked as a shoe salesman as a young boy and continued his career in the fashion and merchandising world until his retirement in October 2010. As an aspiring shoe designer I was intrigued to hear what he had to say about why women’s shoes are such a successful market and gain tips on what I can do in the future. Surrounded by tables of beautiful (drool worthy) shoes by Prada, Chanel and my personal icon Manolo Blahnik, just to name a few; I listened as Mr. Tansky spoke about a woman’s “need” to buy shoes. We could have hundreds, even thousands of shoes in our closets and yet we still “need” a new pair, this is because of the effect our shoes have on us. Whether it makes a woman feel sexy, confident, comfortable or revamps an that old little black dress, we use our shoes as (in my opinion) the ultimate accessory. He mentioned the attitude woman have when they’re shopping, then the change that occurs as they step onto a shoe salon floor. As I watched I noticed he was correct; women who walked through had their back a little straighter, held a slower pace and a hint of a smile. Though how could you not smile when seeing Lanvin’s bright colored table or YSL’s sky high stilettos, I know I had moments where I’m convinced time simply stopped. Relying on the designers latest line is what helps drive sales for even the greatest shoe salesman. If the customer doesn’t see anything they like, they’ll just walk on by, but a woman who walks through a shoe floor hopes to find something she “needs.” I’ve stored Mr. Tansky’s thoughts and opinions into my always accepting mind for ideas, knowledge, experience and inspiration, to be used for my future in hopes that one day my shoes will stop time for a shoe-aholic such as myself.
Confessions of Filmmaker
A few months ago, the Director and I were brainstorming innovative ways to collect stories and promote the film. We had just finished a Story Contest that brought in several poignant and heart felt stories but we slightly missed the intended 1000 story goal we had set out for ourselves. True I have the proclivity to fantasize about monumental results and outcomes for any goal I set for myself but I really did beleive collecting 10000 stories was a tangible goal.
We were way off to say the least and started looking for new ways to engage our followers, to promote the film and stimulate outreach. It was between ideas that we came up with the idea of utilizing a safe space where we could invite people passing by to walk in and share a personal story about their shoes. We wanted to connect the storyteller to the audience with personal stories, emotions and real lives that represent women’s issues. We felt that face-face interviews would entice people to share their story rather than engaging in the long process of writing-editing-re-writing and then sending it in. So we decided to record the stories as they are told by turning our mobile booth into a recording studio that would stream the stories. In regards to the name, there was something about sharing guilty pleasures to a stranger that reminded me of the dreaded weekly confessions I had to give as a young girl in the Catholic church. Thus the birth of a clever name inspired by archaic traditions-”Shoe Confessional”.
To stay true to our Social Media Outreach strategy we wanted to build upon the online community that has grown over the last year to engage our viewers and spark a dialogue between age groups, ethnicities and genders. Knowing that we are connecting in new ways than ever before and the present is clearly in social media and crowd sourced experiences we wanted to integrate the social connectivity component into this project. By incorporating transmedia techniques into the Shoe Confessional we wanted to generate a unique narrative experience that connects the storyteller with the audience allowing for an intimate storytelling experience. We wanted to create a space where a woman could feel comfortable sharing a personal story in a sacred space amidst a crowd of strangers yet feel connected to each women there and be part of a larger community of women who have been empowered simply by being listened to and sharing their story.
That was the easiest part. Next came the “how” and “when” segment of bringing this idea to life. Knowing that the films roots had been planted in community partnerships we wanted this to be a community collaboration so we put out a call to artists, designers and craftspeople, of which many of you have seen. We had a great response and put together the following team:
Cynthia Salzman Mondell, Media Projects, Inc.
Jen Mauldin – Wilson Associates Designer
Arnulfo Chavez – Master Builder
Valen Chavez – Media Projects Community Outreach Director
Steve Shipp – BRW Architects Construction Team
Misti Chambers – Graphic Designer
David Friedman – Wavemaker Audio Audio Visual Design
Phil Allen- Allen Media
Marlon Madrid – Handyman
Alyx Martinez, Media Projects, Inc.
Rondi Hillstrom Davis – Costume Designer
Everything after that just fell into place… well not quite that easily but I will spare you the details. After looking high and low, we were donated a space by Sarofim Realty Advisors and received several donated materials from Cutting Corners, Home Depot and Target. Jen Mauldin, our lead designer on the project, was a tremendous help and resource since she is LEED certified with a passion for sustainability and loves integrating re-purposed materials into her designs. With that in mind while also drawing inspiration from the re-cycled and re-used fashion trends from the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit, 90% of the materials used to build the confessional were re-cycled and eco-friendly thanks to Jen! Everyone on the team who devoted their time, energy and efforts were greatly needed and appreciated to help finish the project as well. Everyone who brought their talents, vision and passion to the project-we salute you for the shining star you are, we really could not have accomplished this without you.
Special Thanks to
Dallas Museum of Art, Jim Greenfield, Janimation, RepliCopy, Mark Rutledge, Jeff Hurst, Laura Flagerstone, Aleah Dillard, Jessica La Torre, Carlos Macias, Allen Mondell, Fonya Naomi Mondell, Media 13
SOLE SISTERS invites you to experience the new era of storytelling at the Debut of our Shoe Confessional Febuary 11-12. For those unable to attend, we welcome you to send in your shoe confessions along with pictures of your shoes at http://twubs.com/shoeconfessional https://www.facebook.com/SoleSistersFilm or http://www.solesistersfilm.com/share-your-stories.
Arts Magnet Students Go Sole Searching
I just returned from visiting with Lolly Tompkin’s visual arts class at Booker T. Washington High School.
They are working with us on our SOLE SISTERS Film Project by interpreting woman’s stories through their artwork. I am overwhelmed by the talent and visual depth these students possess.
Their assignment was to work with a woman close to them, in their life whether it be their mother, sister, friend or role model, to choose a story that exemplified a personal experience told through that woman’s shoes. It is always nerve wrecking to have your art critiqued or even documented, but these students were well spoken in their descriptions about their inspirations, concepts and execution of their final projects.
These high school students dug deep into the psyches of these women and produced amazingly profound and sincere art. Many of the stories moved me to tears. Others put a smile on my face. Once again, the shoe proves to be an overlooked accessory that transcends age, gender and background that touches everyone’s sole.
SOLE SISTERS Joins IndieGoGo
SOLE SISTERS joins IndieGogo, an online fundraising platform to collect funds for creative projects.
We have to acknowledge that people are accessing story in ways we’ve never encountered before in history. A generation is growing up surfing from one media platform to the next without even being aware of doing so. As Filmmakers we are surfing right along with these people.
Through tansmedia techniques we are creating a story architecture that invites you and your friends to participate virtually and simultaneously. Fundamentally Sole Sisters is about intimacy and connecting the storyteller with the audience. As the SOLE SISTER community grows we are seeking innovative ways to help women share their stores, not only virtually but financially. Click here to learn about our latest projects including the cutting edge Shoe Confessional and contribute to the many on-going projects.
SOLE SISTERS Finds its Solemate in University of Sheffield
Imagine how surprised I was when I received an email from some professors at University at Sheffield. They found us on Twitter . They had a grant to do a 3 year study on people’s identity with their shoes. I was ecstactic. We have tried to figure out how we can collaborate. They are suggesting questions for the SHOE CONFESSIONAL and we are sharing stories. Below is their description of their project which is so similar to ours accept we are focusing on women’s identity. It is amazing that two groups would be working on the same project at the same time. What I love is that we are doing it through our own disciplines. And in different ways.I also like that we are willing to share to enrich each other’s project. That is SOLE SISTERS.
From If The Shoe Fits project
IF THE SHOE FITS? FOOTWEAR, IDENTITY AND TRANSITION
Jenny Hockey (Principle Investigator), Victoria Robinson (Co-Investigator), Rachel Dilley (Research Associate), Alex Sherlock (Postgraduate Researcher)
GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT SHOES
This project makes shoes a starting point for finding out how people take on and move between identities, both on a daily basis and throughout the life course. Shoes are currently high profile in advertising and they also play important roles in popular culture, as well as folklore and fairy tales. It is striking how often shoes are attributed with the capacity to change us, both men and women. For example, the seven league boots that help Puss-in-Boots go up in the world; Cinderella’s ‘glass’ slipper; Dorothy’s red shoes in the Wizard of Oz, Billy Dane’s magical football boots; the promise of athletic performance in Nike adverts; and the representation of the ‘power’ of designer heels in Sex and the City.
What we want to find out is how these images of personal transformation might relate to actual shifts or transitions of identity that go on in everyday life and during the life course. For example, shoes feature within many everyday transitions: between life course categories (baby to toddler, single to married); activities (work to leisure); health and illness (orthopaedic shoes); gender identities (from man to woman); social classes (Reebok Classic to Sloan Loafer); everyday and specialist competencies (mother and climber); and lay and professional identities (from Kickers to the funeral director’s shiny black shoes).
From If The Shoe Fit project
The contribution of shoes to everyday and life course transitions suggests that they are more than just symbols of change. Instead they seem able to change embodied experiences of time, place and identity. In contrast to many forms of clothing, shoes can almost become part of the body, taking on the shape of the foot, and changing the way we move. Many skills and competencies rely on the right footwear, for example, in classical ballet, football and climbing.
WHY SHOES NOW?
Marketing data show a considerable increase in our spending on shoes in western societies and our shoe consumption patterns have dramatically changed in recent years. In 2007 Mintel reported that ‘shoes have moved centre-stage in fashion and have grown much faster than clothing in the last five years’, they are ‘no longer seen as a clothing essential to be bought on a replacement basis only’.
What is driving this change? Is it the promise of transformation with which shoes are imbued in fairytales, popular culture and advertising? Shoe designers seem to think so: Natacha Morro claims that ‘Shoes turn you into someone else’. By addressing these questions, our project contributes to current sociological debates. It asks whether people in relatively wealthy western societies are discovering new scope for self-reinvention through this kind of consumption – or whether individuals everywhere and always have tried to shape their identities and reflected upon the results.
Our project is also concerned with sustainability. How do we care for our shoes, what are our practices when it comes to recycling shoes, shopping in charity shops and other second-hand, sometimes retro, outlets? How else do we dispose of our shoes? Why do we keep shoes we no longer wear (or have never worn)? What makes a pair of shoes unforgettable?
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/iftheshoefits
Youth First Texas
Sole Sisters has a new partner-Youth First Texas a non-profit organization that provides a safe space for LGBTQ youth and their allied friends to strengthen opportunities for life skills, leadership development, peer support and educational advancement.
Sole Sisters has started working with these fab teens on a monthly writing workshop. Our latest workshop talked about the idea of impersonation and how we use fashion to identify ourselves. Fashion has evolved from generation to generation reflecting one’s social class, political values to religious beliefs. From head to toe we decide who we are and how we want to be seen on a daily basis simply through our garments.
The YFT teen group wrote how they use their shoes to make a statement.
Sole Sisters wants to know what statement do you make with your shoes?
Look At Sydney Now
Sydney Smith
These are my brother’s boots. I didn’t really know where they came from, but they reminded me of the old doc martins we wore back in the day. We both wore the old ox blood docs and listened to only the most hardcore punk bands. The soles on these boots however were completely flat; no heel. I grabbed them along with several other items from his apartment; a bible, a blanket, and a video tape with his writing “Western Conference Championships.”
My sister Holly called me at work on June 14th 2004. My birthday was the day before and I’d not received my customary call from my brother or my father wishing me a happy birthday. My sister’s call was unintelligible; in the background was chaos. My sister’s voice told me “Sydney, I’m so sorry to tell you this – but Dan is dead.” My brain kept hearing “Dad is dead.” My mother grabbed the phone from my sister and repeated the words “Dan is dead. There is no hope.”
My little brother’s name was Dan Zachariah Chavez. He was above all my protection. He had a thick mop of dark brown hair, light green eyes and the skin tone of my Spanish mother. In a word he was beautiful. But most of all he had a tender heart, and he was fiercely loyal and extremely protective of me. Despite being my younger brother he towered over me. We were 17 months apart. For years we were exactly the same height and everyone thought we were twins until he finally passed me up.
Our parents divorced when I was 19 and Dan was 18. We stayed together and got our own apartment and watched over one another. On my watch I cared for him along with several others kids our age. It wasn’t long that our nights of parties took a very dark turn and I found myself taking care of 4 drug addicts. The youngest, George being 14, Scott was 16, Dan was 18, and Jay was 19. Never in my life would I have imagined that my brother would put a needle in his arm. Yet I didn’t stop him.
My sisters and mother cleaned out his apartment and tried to piece together what happened. We grew up in an upper middle class family but we all struggled with our own issues. For years Dan was a very successful person. He moved away and went to live in another state. He cleaned himself up and for years would remain on the right path, but every so often when things would go wrong he would binge. It was one of these binges that took his life 7 years ago.
What I have learned is to live in the midst of death and my one goal is to share that you have to keep going even when you don’t think you can take another step. I compare death to having a part of your body amputated. You are expected to learn how to live without that part of you. I wanted the world to stop for just one moment and to listen to what I needed to say, “My brother who I love with all of my heart has just died. Now my life will never be the same.”
However I got back to work and silently grieved on my own raising two daughters. What I found was that others were praying for me and in my darkest hour I found solace and peace. My brother visited me in my dreams. So vivid were my dreams that I felt his love, his concern, and even him telling me to care for our other sister who also struggles with drugs and alcohol. His gift to me was our memories. From his crazy inventions that were way before our time to our reenactments of Saturday morning WWF wrestling—which is where his boots come in.
After Dan moved away he had the crazy idea of becoming a professional wrestler.
He attended a camp in Denver, adopted a persona and for a short time enjoyed a semi- professional career as Dartanian. The video tape I found in his apartment is of a match he was in. It is all I have left that shows his smile and his larger than life personality, and I am so grateful I have that. In it he is wearing the boots—his wrestling boots.
Afterwards, when my father and I would speak of Dan, he would tell me how much my brother loved me. Fondly recalling Dan’s phone calls saying, “Well guess what Sydney is doing now…”
I think about him every day and I thank God for the short time He gave him to me. I am the only one out of the gang of 5 that made it out. George died of an overdose at the age of 21, Dan died at 33, Scott and Jay still struggle with their addictions. I survived my teens and have two beautiful daughters as my reward. I share my story with those who have lost a loved one and to tell them to persevere even when they think they can’t go on.
Several years ago I heard a story on NPR about a group of girls in Austin who were reviving Roller Derby. I thought to myself, “I could do that.” I was in school and kept telling myself, “As soon as I graduate I’m gonna do that.” And so I did.
I am one of the oldest women in my league of over 100 women. I have made life long friends with women I know will sit next to me when we are old and recount the endless stories that only another derby girl could understand. I have found a second family and they in turn have held me up when I could not do it on my own. For that I am eternally thankful. I have found that if you are human that pain is inevitable. I have tried to comfort my own sisters in derby who have been hit with cancer, lost mothers, fathers, suffered miscarriages—which has made me realize my reason for being a part of this family.
I have since lost my father and my children’s father, yet I keep putting one foot in front of the other. On game days in the locker room I pray for every one of my teammates without their knowledge. And every time I lace up my skates and skate out in front of the crowds and hear my name over the speaker I know my brother and father have a front row seat and I think to myself, “Well look at what Sydney is doing now.”
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