Only curiosity about the fate of others, the ability to put ourselves in their shoes, and the will to enter their world through the magic of imagination, creates this shock of recognition. Without this empathy there can be no genuine dialogue, and we as individuals and nations will remain isolated and alien, segregated and fragmented Azar Nafisi,
'Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes' is a common saying that alludes to feelings of empathy. I had a strong urge to paint my own shoes, which perhaps developed from my own self-reflections on empathy and its power for change. Shoes can be a status symbol where they are used to project an image or character type. I found that shoes and their shapes could be manipulated to indicate a thought or social behaviour. Each pair of shoes or group of shoes appeared to take on a persona of their own, moving across the canvas at different speeds or in different patterns.
