Christopher P. McManus
Jordan V
Paper mache, cardboard, gesso, resin, acrylic, glass microspheres.
http://thespacesaversproject.tumblr.com
I coveted these sneakers in junior high, but I never owned them. Around the same time, in the early 90’s, I heard several stories about murders over Air Jordans. I wanted emphasize the anecdotal evidence of violence surrounding space saving. I read those murder cases again. While Jordans were involved in the murders, the stories were sensational and are more myth-making than fact-reporting. The sneaker as a space saver is a visual joke: as an object, it’s recognizable as perhaps the best designed (and perhaps most coveted) sneaker of all time, and as a space saver, it carries the grim threat implied by the Jordan murder stories. You want this, but if you take it, something bad will happen!
Catharine St, between 22nd and 23rd: Jordan V was well received by most of my neighbors, while others took the opportunity to vent frustration over the practice of space saving in our neighborhood. My favorite reaction came from a middle-aged city worker who was passing through. He stopped to take pictures of the giant sneaker. After hearing about the space savers project, he said, “Oh man, that right there is Philly!”
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