tidhar zagagi molds bespoke ergonomic footwear from PU foam casting
the israeli designer takes to the streets with his wooden cart and makes custom shoes for passersby.
TIDHAR ZAGAGI’s ONE-MAN SHOE FACTORY
tidhar zagagi is making bespoke footwear by the side of the road in a project called ‘pixel shoe’. the israeli designer takes to the streets with his wooden cart, or what he calls his ‘one-man shoe factory’, and makes custom kicks for passersby. by leveraging the speed and plasticity of PU foam casting, within a few minutes the customer leaves with an affordable ergonomic shoe, molded to the exact shape of their sole and fused to their socks.
the project explores the past and the future of craft manufacturing while affording an intimate exchange between customer and manufacturer.
PIXEL SHOE GIVES CONSUMERS THE POWER TO DECIDE
pixel shoe embraces a low-tech approach to custom manufacturing to approximate scenarios in the near future when large factories and sweatshops will no longer be needed, and mass production will be replaced with mass customization.
the engagement of the consumer in the production processes, including in their 3D body scanning, awards them greater agency to make real-time decisions about the aesthetics, functionality and fit of their chosen product. furthermore, the incorporation of brand name elements into the production process opens the question of the significance of intellectual ownership in the age of digital manufacturing.
pixel shoe was made during zagagi’s studies at the department of industrial design at bezalel academy of arts and design in jerusalem. the project was realized as part of a course on the term ‘hospitality’ guided by tal gur.
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project info:
name: pixel shoe
design: tidhar zagagi
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
