It
seems there's a museum for everything. And while this
isn't as odd as the funeral museum in Houston,
Texas the Bata Shoe
Museum is a unique specimen. The owner, Sonja Bata,
has been collecting shoes since the 1940's. The collection
runs from the modern clogs worn by celebrities like
Elton John to ancient footwear from China
and Egypt. In all 10,000
shoes are showcased in the five-story building (three
above ground, two below) that is as modern and dynamic
as the latest designs it contains. In fact, "container"
is the right word here because the building was designed
to evoke that staple of third-grade art projects,
the shoebox. One way to create this impression is
by leaving a gap around the top of the building to
make the roof appear to be resting on the structure
like an askew box lid, rather than a permanent piece
of the construction. The Shoe Museum's walls are set
at a 33.5-degree angle to enhance the whole "container"
concept. Yes, real shoeboxes have perpendicular walls,
but remember the basic and identifiable containers
used to carry Chinese food. For maximum impact the
roof illusion and the jaunty walls are intended to
be viewed from the sidewalk below where a glass pyramid
has been set into the pavement and the walls of the
building. This incongruous element helps establish
this as a 1990's construction and not one of the stark
geometric forms that took shape in the mid-20th century.
It also allows pedestrians to see inside, and draws
the curious to the collection. Those who are truly
curious might notice that the building's signage incorporates
leather, that staple of the cobbler's trade.
