The Clog in the spotlight this summer
Waalwijk - July 19 - Ask random tourists what they think of when they think of the Netherlands and chances are they will mention clogs. The primal Dutch wooden shoe will be put in the spotlight during the summer in the Schoenenkwartier;
with young designers, workshops and the thought leadership of the Crafts Lab.
Young designers have rediscovered the wooden shoe and are presenting in the "Bodehuisje". Work by the latest generation of Dutch creative talent, who have recently presented their work in the graduate shows of ArtEZ, for example, will have a place here. The popularity of the so-called "ugly shoe," with much clog-inspired footwear, is currently experiencing a huge resurgence. Crocs, whether Salehe Bembury's designs or not, a frog clog from JW Anderson x Wellipets and the heeled clogs from Bottega Veneta; there is no escaping them at the moment.
We also show a project of the Crafts Lab, in which the traditional craft of the wooden shoe was researched, in order to arrive at a process more suitable for the present time. This research focused on digital culture. What role can artisans play in digitizing cultural heritage and what does this mean for the shape of the wooden shoe?
The Crafts Lab was developed at the Museumfabriek in Enschede, with Klompenmakers Martin Dijkman and Daniël Koster, product designers Marijke Bruggink and Thomas van den Bliek and ArtEZ Visual Arts student Willemijn Doornebos.
During this clog exhibition, various activities will be organized in the Shoe Quarter centered on the clog. In the Knowledge Center it is possible to paint wooden shoes. For those who fancy a bigger challenge, starting at the end of August you can visit Brabant clog maker Nicole van Aarle to carve your own clog.
