Art on shoes has always been a soft spot for many of Wildling Shoe's wearers, often created by hand with loving care. Now the artists Jumu Monster and Mari Pavanelli have gotten to work. Until the model with their design is released next year, a lot of fabric still has to be printed, sewn and soled - but we can already sneak a peek at the artists' work.
Jumu Monster and Mari Pavanelli are creating a mural for the "Millerntor Gallery" art festival that will remain on display at one of the main entrances to the Millerntor Stadium in Hamburg for a year after the festival. And the two will be wearing Wildling Shoes at the event.
Jumu Monster and Mari Pavanelli painting the mural in Hamburg. Image: Sarah Pabst
This brings everything full circle, because the annual Millerntor Gallery was initiated by "Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli e.V.". And it was our friends from Viva con Agua Arts who introduced us to Jumu and Mari Pavanelli.
We got to know Viva con Agua Arts some time ago after our cooperation on "Embrace your path" with Joy Denalane and have stayed in touch ever since. Because even from the first meeting, we realized that we not only have common values, but also the desire to make these values visible. This desire gave rise to the new cooperation. Together with Viva con Agua Arts, Jumu Monster and Mari Pavanelli, we are really looking forward to everything that will develop from this.
Organic forms
Jumu Monster sees the connection between people, the spiritual world and nature as an integral part of her artistic work, which is reflected in motifs on her masks, canvases, murals - and, for the first time in the future, minimal shoes. Mari Pavanelli also describes her close relationship with nature as an important source of inspiration, which appears in organic forms and playfully light elements in her work.
Image: Sarah Pabst
A shoe is born
What will this shoe look like? The design is almost finished, but only almost. That's why the intrigue remains - or, on a more positive note, we get to enjoy the anticipation.
But if the design is almost ready, what's taking so long? On the one hand, next spring still seems like a very long time from now. On the other hand, there are a lot of steps involved in making a shoe with all the trimmings. Design, upper material, inner material and sole have to be coordinated with each other, first in theory and then in practice. The raw materials are selected, ordered and processed into fabrics, which are then shaped, cut, sewn and glued together.
Many of these steps are done by hand for Wildling minimal shoes. This contributes both to the craftsmanship of the shoes and to a regular income for the people who make the shoes individually in Portugal - thousands of unique pieces for each Wildling Shoes model, which can be found in the Wildling Shoes Shop in up to 31 different sizes, for infants, children's and adult feet.
If we view these many steps from the first design to the finished shoe as a small film in our mind's eye, it's no longer so surprising that the production time is so long and we can perhaps even enjoy the anticipation a little more. Also contributing to this are the other works of Jumu Monster and Mari Pavanelli, whom we can follow on Instagram, among other places.
The Wildling Shoes stand at the Millerntor Gallery 2022. Image: Laura Müller | Wildling Shoes
Millerntor Gallery
Wildling Shoes will also have a stand at the International Art, Music and Culture Festival from July 13 - 16, 2023 in Hamburg. The festival, initiated by Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli e.V. and FC Sankt Pauli, uses the language of art and the slogan "ART CREATES WATER" to transform art into donations for projects that support processes of social change. The Millerntor Gallery wants to inspire visitors to get involved in society through the universal languages of art, music and sport.
Cover image: Sarah Pabst
