800 years in the future, a science-forward humanity sends humans on centuries long expeditions to explore and settle on inhabitable planets across the galaxy. Concerned that humans may struggle to maintain a sense of humanity when born lightyears from Earth, a system is devised in which people are able to relive the memories of their ancestors' time on Earth through shoes that hold lived experiences in their material. People aboard the ark are able to relive what humanity on Earth looks like through the joys, sorrows, and wonder experienced by many lives leading up to their own.
A big part of my inspiration for the design of this shoe was considering what I would want humanity to be like 800 years in the future - our motivations, advancements, relation to each other, and values. At the time I came up with this shoe I had become pretty frustrated with the amount of boring, rectangular architecture made of the same materials I would see around, especially when compared to old structures - especially religious buildings - that were made with such intentionality and beauty and detail. This shoe attempts to capture similar architectural beauty to the temples and cathedrals I am so fascinated with, designed for a future where humanity is able to have a deep and maybe spiritual connection with their ancestors of Earth.
