Created as part of the Croome Redefined project, in collaboration with the National Trust: for Soul to Sole, we invited 22 artists to respond to the multiple stories of Croome’s past residents and employees through pairs of shoes. The work was installed in the basement shoe rack that was put in place during Croome’s time as a boys’ school. Our lighting and sound designers created the atmosphere, and talented shoemaker Maud van den Broecke made shoes in collaboration with the artists.
Some of the individual installations included tablets (to show video) or e-paper (to show photos), embedded within the installation. Some of them had their AV content or lighting triggered by motion sensors, others responded to touch. As with our other work, the installation could be enjoyed simply, by wandering through and admiring the individual pieces, or the visitor could take their time exploring each one. The installation was conceived as a way of telling multiple stories in a single space, staying true to Croome’s spirit of place, and providing an engaging, contemporary experience for visitors.