The fusion of traditional values and contemporary art illustrates perfectly how we can enjoy our cultural heritage and treasures without compromising the present. Today, it is a growing trend in the fashion industry to incorporate folk art into certain collections, but there are still only a few efforts that rethink and revive our concrete material values in a way that makes them feel eternal for today’s people. This is the case with the Szegedi Papucs Újratöltve, whose third collection shows how to preserve the attributes of a region in style.
The latest slipper designs were placed in an extraordinary space: a special installation designed by architect Dorottya Sára Ligetvári and graphic artist Laura Sásdi was created especially for the occasion at Trafik Kortárs Művészeti Pont.
The idea of the modern Szeged slipper came from shoe designer Zita Attalai, whose speciality slippers are characterised by their innovative design—fortunately, she fell in love with Szeged toupees years ago, and the mission of “slipper rescue” was born. To develop the basic concept, she collaborated with craftsmen like Tibor Sallay and his wife, who are among the few experts who still make the traditional stitched heel slipper. The Szegedi Papucs Újratöltve and the team of the Trafik Kortárs Művészeti Egyesület are now working together to promote and cultivate the emblematic footwear of the Southern Great Plains. According to the creators, a contemporary artwork created along the lines of a traditional value has a raison d’être if it shows a sense of continuity and its new quality is measured by the standards of heritage.
The exhibition will be open from 20 October at Trafik Kortárs Művészeti Pont, in the building of the Trafik Kör Kortárs Művészeti Egyesület Dabas, which functions as street furniture and exhibition space. The installation will be complemented with an exceptional musical experience, composed by jazz musician, composer and violinist Luca Kézdy, from the basic motifs of the folk song “Hidegen fújnak a szelek” (Cold winds blow—free translation), the lyrics of which are also echoed on the soles of the slippers.
Photo: Csenge Luca Ligetvári
Szegedi Papucs Újratöltve| Facebook
Trafik Kör Kortárs Művészeti Egyesület | Web | Facebook | Instagram
Dorottya Ligetvári | Facebook | Instagram
Zita Attalai | Web
Laura Sásdi | Behance | Instagram
Wooden house inspired by characteristic Polish houses
All countries should connect to the space sector within their capabilities—Orsolya Ferencz on the HUNOR space program
