Every Step a Lotus

In 2013 I was commissioned by the Denver Art Museum to create a work based on a piece from their permanent collection. Every Step a Lotus is the result of that invitation. The piece includes historic fact and observations about the tradition of foot binding in China - a tradition that lasted over 1000 years. The two sided unbound text panels include step-by-step instructions for binding, photographic images and x-rays of bound feet and images of the exquisite and elegant shoes that were made for bound feet. The accompanying book holds an essay addressing the oddity of treating both the functional object (shoes) and specimens of bound feet as collectibles.