A shoe’s path ends, when the last step is done. For me a last shoe marked a change in my life already several times.

(Spoiler: That’s going to be a long text about abandoned shoes. No bad feelings if you immediately skip to the photo section.)

Shoes & Models (abandoned)

Thinking back to my years in Moscow, I remember that job in a design studion. One of our clients was a big chain of shoe shops in Russia. We managed their online shop, which did mean millions of photos of shoes had to be done, beautified in Photoshop like supermodels.

It was the moment when I realized, that this is not my job. No pictures of shoes anymore, never ever. I haven’t been in a special relationship with shoes already before, but this traumatic coincident led directly to some sort of, let’s call it “hypodēmaphobia” – shoe-panic. I abandoned that shoes.

Братья по оружию – Brothers in arms (abandoned)

The second story which will always be connected in my mind with a shoe, is leaving Russia after all the years there.

During all these years I had my favourite pair of sneakers. They brought me to Russia. I walked in them in all possible and impossible situations. Russian winter in January’s -35°C. The unbelievable amounts of mud and dirt throughout the cities and countryside in Russian spring. They guarded me on my flight with a paramotor over our Dacha. In short: We had been a great team. Братья по оружию – Brothers in arms.

It was back in late April/beginning of May in 2010, around Moscow still some bits of snow, cold weather and again all the mud of infamous Russian spring around.

We celebrated our farewell on our Dacha at a friend’s house. After that and all the mud my sneakers were done. I did wear them when I came to Russia, they were loyal to me trough all the years. So they recieved an appropriate burial on the neighbour’s garden fence. I abandoned them with all honors for their merits.

Israelian Expats (abandoned)

Some time ago a friend from Israel visited us. We had walks around our house in the Styrian mountains. And during one of these walks her shoes shared the fate of mine in Russia: They were done and gone. She abandoned them standing in our entrance hall. I loved that analogy, that’s why they became part of this small series.

It’s a series of abandoned shoes. And one bag. Shoes and bags belong together, don’t they?

A path ends, when the last step is done: A sequel to the »Looking at Things« collection.

CameraZorki 1FilmFoma Retropan 320, Foma Retro Special Developer.LocationAn abandoned couch in a garden in Styria, Austria.Year2019