April 28, 2006
The Aphrodite Project is a series of new media artworks inspired by the cult of Aphrodite. In temples across the ancient world, Aphrodite was worshipped by both men and women, due to her influence over nature and fertility as well as raw sexuality. Her priestesses performed sexual acts in homage to her as a sacrifice for the fecundity of the land and its people. This sacred prostitution was intrinsically tied to religion, ritual and public policy and was seen as a social service and legitimate commerce. Platforms, the latest series of work in The Aphrodite Project, is a pair of sandals that are both a conceptual homage to Aphrodite and her prostitute-priestesses as well as a practical object for the contemporary sex worker. An integrated system of shoes and online services, Platforms uses the latest technology to bring sex workers on par with other public workers, whose lives are valued highly because they work in dangerous professions that serve the needs of the community. Coming soon!
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Sorry about the borked formatting there.
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Hmm - I dunno. They look pretty uncomfortable, and I can't imaging running away in them, but maybe the technical stuff does lend some comfort. I think moneyjane needs to educate me on the issues.
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cool link! the shoes are pretty nifty. path they are probably very comfortable *for a shoe like that* because the platforms make for a flatter or less steep shoe than non-platform heels. also, they have a pretty broad area of contact with the ground, so pretty stable. not to say they are tennis shoes but I'd rather run in those than the typical stripper shoe. also I like that there are people organized to bring some degree of safety to girls on the street.
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They're probably pretty heavy, though, with all that hardware.
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If nothing else, they'd make a good club. Wouldn't want to get smacked upside the head with one of them.
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I never stripped, but man did I love me some stripper shoes when I was in college. The Aphrodite platforms look pretty darn easy to walk in. The rise is pretty comparable to a low heel, and you're not going to be wobbling on these like a stiletto heel. Also, I bet they make pretty good kickin' shoes. And they're super cute.
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But once it's publicized, won't anyone abducting/attacking a prostitute just rip her shoes off and toss them out the window, thus easily thwarting the tracking feature?