POINTE

151 pointe shoes. One stage.

The work focuses on the platform of the shoe, that two-inch surface upon which the dancer balances the entirety of her weight. Shown in extreme closeup and presented at a grand scale, every thread and tear is visible. Whereas the ballet dancer often appears to float effortlessly during a performance, here the evidence of her hard work, dedication, talent and determination is revealed. Each shoe possesses the essence and unique imprint of the ballerina who danced in it. (Much as each of us wears out the heel of our shoe in our own way.) The photographs, and the project, become portraits of individual achievement and collective endeavor as well as illustrations of the material aspect of performance.  

The project was sparked by a chance encounter in 2019 when a box of shoes made its way to my studio. The shoes were found in the garbage some twelve years earlier. Names scribbled on the undersides belonged to company members of the New York City Ballet. The company resides at Lincoln Center where, as a child, I attended my first ballet performances.

2020-in progress
40x55” / 1M x 1M39
archival pigment print

with thanks to David Greg Harth and the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, NY