What for a pleasure last week, when I watched a documentary about one of my favorite things – shoes 🙂 (If we talk about material things, of course!) I happily present today that BATA Shoe Museum, a surprising place! It’s located in Toronto, Canada and has over a thousand shoes and artefacts (from a collection over 13,000 items) on exhibit in architect Raymond Moriyama’s award-winning five floor structure, according to BATA’s site.
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The museum celebrates the style and function of footwear, from Chinese bound foot shoes and ancient Egyptian sandals to modern styles. “Over 4,500 years of history and a collection of 20th-century celebrity shoes are reflected in the semi-permanent exhibition, All About Shoes”, states the site.
Mrs. Bata’s (who gives the museum its name, due to being one of the founders) involvement with shoes dates back 1940. “On the surface, shoes are an indication of personal taste and style, but a closer examination yields a different picture. Viewed chronologically, shoes trace a path through technological development and mark even the subtlest shifts in a society’s attitudes and values. Footwear illustrates entire ways of life, indicating the climate, religions, professions and attitudes to gender and social status of different cultures through the ages. Whether they are objects of beauty or instruments of torture, shoes are surely signs of the times”, according to the museum.
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It was on May 6th, 1995 that the Museum opened its doors at 327 Bloor Street West. Among other exhibitions, currently you can visit the following ones there:
Fashion Victims: The Pleasures & Perils of Dress in the 19th Century
Open until June 2016
Open until June 2016
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BEAUTY, IDENTITY, PRIDE: NATIVE NORTH AMERICAN FOOTWEARÂ
Open until June 2016
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There are also online exhibitions:
The Brooklyn Museum, New York – July 2015 – October 6th, 2015 – Travelling Exhibition
Shoes: Pain and PleasureÂ
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK – June 13th, 2015 – January 31st, 2016 – loan of 5 pairs
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK – June 13th, 2015 – January 31st, 2016 – loan of 5 pairs
Killer Heels: The Art of the High Heel ShoeÂ
Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico – May 30th, 2015 – August 9th, 2015 – loan of 7 pairs
Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico – May 30th, 2015 – August 9th, 2015 – loan of 7 pairs
Hope you liked the post and maybe visit the museum, even online!
Denise S. is the blogger behind DenisesPlanet, a blog about her adventures, studies, readings and fashion, as well. She loves shoes, travelling, roses, learning languages and sweets, among other things. Learning from people and respecting each other’s opinions are always very important for her!
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