Current position:

Director at Helen Kirkum Studio LTD

concept title:

Our Public Youth

Concept:

Our Public Youth Confusion and Coming of age in an oversaturated paradigm, evokes reaction to an alternative system of circulation. Helen Kirkum’s footwear collection is a journey of research and craftsmanship. By sourcing and collecting old sneaker parts she has engaged in bringing them back to life through a time-consuming process which rebuilds an entirely new sneaker from scraps. Signifying the struggle to belong in a hyper-commercial reality, these shoes are evaluating process, ownership and obsolescence. Developed through generations of time (each scrap piece has its own age, story and origin), Helen’s work allows the wearer to re-engage with energies embedded in the material. Through her process she depicts triumph, defeat and rebirth. Ghosts of efforts that were once discarded are now remastered.