julija frodina combines craft + technology to develop conceptual footwear

julija frodina combines craft + technology to develop conceptual footwear
all images © julija frodina

lithuanian designer julija frodina combines traditional handcraft and new technologies to create a three-dimensional object from a flat surface. the result can be anything from a sculpture to a building to a shoe. the aim of her research is to find an intersection between the old and manual ways of making things with new, machine-made objects. to do so, she starts by mixing all these production forms and tools, that include the ones used in different disciplines, to generate questions concerning the artist, architect, artisan and designer’s role in the present day.

transformers shoes were made of corn plastic

in order to combine traditional craft with new technologies, fodina started working with 3D modeling software, creating flat surfaces. these surfaces she would assemble manually using titan metal and other tools utilized by shoemakers and jewelers. the final product inevitably raises the question regarding what the object is, even though its intended to be a shoe.

titan metal, and shoemaker’s and jeweler’s traditional tools were used to assemble the flat surface

the resulting product is a shoe that makes us wonder if it’s really a shoe

the boundaries between art, design and even architecture are broken in this wearable object

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom