Shoefiti: Unique Urban Street Art

Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines art as: “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” The controversy lies in what connotes aestheticism, naturally beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, after all. Generally speaking, I do not find graffiti particularly artistic, perhaps because I don't appreciate public defacement of bridges, buildings, trains, and signs. I have, upon occasion, however been impressed by the sheer talent exhibited by some of these graffiti artists. I've taken a second glance and wished this artistic expression was painted onto a more appropriate canvas.

Strangely, I am mesmerized by shoefiti. This curious art form used to be called: “chucking chucks”, “tossing the galosh”, or “shoe slinging” .”Shoefiti” was coined by Ed Kohler in 2005. From the term spawned a website (www.shoefiti.com) where Mr. Kohler collects shoefiti images from around the world and attempts to make sense of this odd form of art. Originally, shoefiti described shoes hung from power lines, however with the addition of “shoe trees” and most recently a group called “knitta please”, the term continues to expand in meaning.

Shoefiti seems to have secured its mark as a popular modern icon and it isn't going out of style quite yet. If being portrayed on the Simpson's is indicative of reaching urban legend status, then it seems shoefiti has reached new heights.

Shoe tossing has been observed in areas of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Colombia, Spain, Peru, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Sweden, Romania, South Africa, Argentina, Mexico and Ecuador.

This art form is shrouded in mystery which helps perpetuate the fascination behind shoe flinging. Some have theorized it began as a military practice as early as World War II, where soldiers would fling their combat boots over a telephone or power line to symbolize the completion of active duty or basic training. These boots were often spray painted orange. Other such rites of passage have been implicated in this ritual such as: graduations, births or marriage. In Scotland, shoefiti is associated with a young man's loss of virginity. Shoe trees frequent college campuses, perhaps following Scotland's tradition, or as a symbol of a particularly successful sexual conquest. Some shoes might dangle to represent an athlete's achievement of shoes that have reached their xxxth mile.

Perhaps the most prevalent theory of the purpose of shoe chucking is that it's the advertisement of a nearby crack or heroin house. Supposedly, drug seekers need only look to the house closest to the hanging shoes to score. Symbolism is attached to the hanging shoes for the heroin user, as once the drug has taken you, walking away is no longer possible. Or perhaps that heroin addiction will steal the very shoes off your feet. Many argue against the drug house marking, saying no dealer would be so stupid as to point law authorities to the location of a drug hub. However, others say the shoes are used to throw off police by continually moving shoes from location to location.

The law does, however take notice of the shoes. They've witnessed a definite correlation between shoefiti and gang activity. They consider it an act of gang territory marking. Some purport gangs fling the shoes of murdered gang members to commemorate his or her death. It would seem an unlikely explanation in rural areas where gangs don't normally infiltrate.

Some legends purport a more ethereal side to the practice. The shoes of people who've passed away are hung in order to be higher to the heavens, to God, to the spiritual universe. It's a way to celebrate life and symbolize the deceased passage to Heaven. When the spirit of the dead person returns, he or she will then walk above ground, never to touch the earth again, to live eternally closer to heaven. Similarly, some believe the shoes will keep one's house safe from ghosts and evil spirits.

A theory that remains sound and constant is shoefiti is performed by bored teenyboppers attempting to find a source of amusement in the wee hours of the night. Perhaps they're upper middle class kids in a growth spurt who've been blessed with a new pair of Nikes or Addidas and find amusement faring them adieu up on the wires. Or maybe they're pranks played on a drunk who awakens to find his shoes strewn up high. Or, it's been said it's the end result of bullying where the victor takes the shoes from the victim. These pranks make sense in light of the unspoken shoefiti rule of: always fling your shoes in the middle of the night, and/or when no one is around.

Being unable to identify the slinger is of the utmost of importance. The only exception to this rule might be in New Zealand where boot throwing, now a sport, has its fair share of spectators. This unlikely sport has its origins in Great Britain where the participants compete to throw a Wellington Boot the farthest, aptly called “Wellie Wanging”.  

New Zealand's version of Wellington Boots are called Gumboots which are basically rubber waders or galoshes popular among farmers, outdoor workers and a perennial favorite for Kiwi kids. The North Island's rural community called Taihape prides itself on its odd flurry of flying boots, especially during its annual Gumboot Day. Granted, one may practice year round at the town's official gumboot throwing lane located behind the main shopping center. Since 1985 people have been flocking to the gumboot throwing capital to win the coveted Gumboot Trophy. Finland has also joined in the fun with a very similar equivalent to the annual Kiwi tradition.

North America still grapples with the meaning of shoe throwing. In the Middle East, however, there's no debate that shoe throwing is a deep insult and expression of serious contempt. Iraqis showed their contempt towards Saddam Hussein by taking off their shoes and beating his statue. No one can forget the Iraqi journalist, Muntadhar al-Zaidi who chucked both of his size 10 shoes at former President George Bush.

One odd practice in Northern Israel is the art of adorning trees with underwear, scarves, and other clothing items.  This is an older tradition with females participants who believe hanging their clothes from particular trees will help them find their shidduch, or life partner for marriage.

Until recently shoe treefiti seemed to remain a uniquely American “tradition”, however these shoe trees are now sprouting up all over the world. Not all people are supporters of these adorned trees, however. In fact, a popular shoe tree near Rice, CA was burned to the ground in 2004, leaving nothing but a sad, charred stump with melted shoes on top. Sadly, its neighbor, the underwear tree was soon after destroyed as well. A nearby fence has taken its place as people pile and attach their shoes onto it. Evidently a smaller shoe tree has sprouted up just adjacent to the fallen tree. A popular shoe tree in Toquerville, Utah had a similar fate.

Like with shoefiti, laces are tied together and tossed up into the trees. A competition may soon erupt to see who can loop the shoes the highest up in the tree. Another popular method for affixing the shoes is to nail them to the trees.

There are approximately 75 shoe trees worldwide. When one is destroyed, it seems another pops up nearby.

Knitta is an anonymous group of tag guerilla knitters who leave their mark on monuments, utility poles, trees and anything else they see fit. The group began as frustrated knitters who were tired of incomplete knitting jobs and decided to make use of their abandoned scraps. Using only yarn and cloth, their goal is to beautify, colorize and make street art "a little more warm and fuzzy." It started with a doorknob on a well-known boutique in Houston, TX. The boutique passerbys adored it, and word spread leading to the explosion of yarn bombing. Each piece of yarn art is attached with a paper tag that says: "Whaddup Knitta?", "Knitta, Please", or "I love Knitta."

The yarn bombers wish to remain anonymous and call themselves: AKrylik and PolyCotN. Evidently a third Knitta member, a male named MascuKnitity has been added. Finally,there's GrannySQ. AKrylik and PolyCotN are both moms in their thirties, married, battling kids, but hitting the streets after dark with their yarn. Being keenly attuned to the debacle of public property defacement, they pride themselves on the temporary nature of their craft and the ease of removal. All projects have buttons so they may be readily disrobed.

From the imfamous shoes trees, spinoff trees have begun popping up. We have the pacifier tree in Fredericksberg Garden located in Copenhagen. I am left wondering about the significance here... Perhaps it's a celebration of parents exiting babyhood, perhaps it's a sign of the oral fixation our society has, or heck, maybe because they're multi-colored and just look cool as a collection on a tree. Or, what about the bra tree in Snowbird, UT? No one really knows the origination. Perhaps it's something like the young men celebrating the loss of virginity, but for the female.

There must be something aesthetically pleasing to people about shoe trees and shoefiti, however. This is certainly not a lost art. In fact, an Australian artist has erected a sculpture capturing this modern art form.

Anyone who knows me at all knows I love and adore the great outdoors. I am the first to feel highly offended by graffiti, litter, public defacement of property, and even the carving of one's initials into trees. So, it's surprising to me that I'm drawn to shoe trees. I've stopped wondering why they exist. What is the human compulsion to shoe chuck? I'm satisfied that it's merely a way for one to make his or her little mark in the world, a small declaration of: "I was here!"