Beyond the Time
Burlap, vinyl bag / each 8.5x11 inches / November 1, 2016 - April 30, 2017
This year-long project started on November 1, 2016. It is based on stories of how my ancestors used to make and carry around a bundle of shoes with them when moving from one place to another. Their shoes were made by weaving strands of straw together and as old pairs wore out, they would exchange them for a new pair. Along the path of their journey they would change shoes several times. Mirroring the experience of my ancestors, every morning I would attach a piece of burlap onto the sole of my shoes. At the end of each day, I removed the burlap and preserved it in a plastic bag. All together I collected 160 pairs of footprints. Much like the straw shoes of my ancestors, burlap is easily worn away. The condition of the remaining varies depending on the paths I took and document my daily journey.