Horns are a historical symbol of aggression: in the activities of rodeos and the running of the bulls, the bull is the aggressor. The bull leads with its horns, its weapons, and we know to avoid them. A bull is not dangerous without its horns.
In the moments I feel disconnected with others, the discomfort in my body is channeled to my feet. I want to flee, to remove myself from the situation as fast as I can move. This is where I feel aggression.
Drawings & Models
Plastic model, two bristol models, and a chipboard model:
Rectangular bristol model
Process Photos:
I experimented endlessly the collapsible system, and I went through a few models before I realized that I would need sliders to extend each section of the horn separately. I kept trying to make it ‘accordion’ from one pivot point, but that would not give the horn the shape I needed.
Each section of the horn is connected by both a faster and string. The fasteners enable each horn to slide, extending as separate individuals. The string was a limiter, restricting the distance that each section would travel, and this ensured that the pieces would not overextend from each other and break apart. A string from the bottom piece of the horn is tied to the shoe to stabilize the horn vertically. One more string connects the tip of the horn to the horn’s base near the shoe, slightly shorter than the distance the horn wants to travel, so it pulls the two pieces toward each other at an angle, allowing the horn to curve upward as it naturally looks.
Final Views:
The features for which I chose the plastic material for the horns were its marbled texture and its flexibility. I wanted their shape to be rounded, comprised of cylindrical pieces, because of their resemblance to a typical horn, and because the rectangular sections I used in some of the models did not appeal to me. The leather strap wrapping around the heel was chosen to compliment the look of the shoe, which I think worked well, and it allowed me to attach the piece through the eyelets of the shoe, an idea I liked because it brought the horns and the shoe together as a single unit. The horns are not merely an extension of its base shoe, but they became one entity with this particular shoe. The circular gold fasteners complimented the shoe’s appearance.
