Shoe-Field by Sonya Rapopport

Shoe-Field (1982–89), an interactive artwork begun with a performance in a Berkeley computer store, offered a unique exploration of personal feelings about footwear. Participants responded to shoe-related questions, resulting in a unique “shoe-psyche charge” represented by five plot patterns. The interactive aspect extended to choosing shoes from a chart, which influenced a podiatric Rorschach plot. Shoe-Field’s significance stands as a further example of experimentation combining technology and interactive personal expression, allowing participants to investigate the impact of individual choices on their perceived shoe psyche. The artwork exemplifies how creative expression and technology can combine in ways that are novel yet clearly carry on the lineage of the history of art and technology.