A project to create a sculpture trail of shoes around Upton Place.
Northampton has a strong, centuries old connection to the fabrication of shoes and boots. Therefore shoes are a suitable theme to create a subtle sculpture trail of bronze shoes around the Keepmoat housing section of the development. Many of the road names in Upton Place are based on the following words or expressions used in the traditional shoe industry:- Barring; Bristle; Clickers; Jack Pin; Kiltie; Knot Tiers; Lacing; Moorcut; Padding; Rounding; Scribers; Skinners and Strobel.
Shoes provided an inspirational subject for students and local people to research before designing their shoe. They made a shoe in wax in workshops run by the artists. The waxes were cast into bronze at Castle Fine Arts Foundry with stainless steel fixings, so they could be attached to sites around Upton Place.
The Inspiration page shows images and suggestions for research ideas for the sculptures. As the project progressed, designs followed by photographs of the sculptures were uploaded to this site. Images below show one bronze shoe, previously cast, placed in two different locations and a photoshopped image with two bronze shoes on gateposts. After the May 2017 installation more photos were uploaded to the Installation page.