Pixy Liao

Artist Statements

I almost never wear high-heeled shoes, because they are uncomfortable. I am always amazed to see other women walking in their high-heeled shoes all day long. I'm intrigued by how women can support their whole body weight on such thin and tiny heels, and be able to balance themselves and walk with elegance. I'm also interested in how women wearing high heels is viewed as being sexy in our society, and how it becomes a visual pleasure for men. I want to further test the mystery of the attractiveness of high-heeled shoes. I imagined myself wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes with soft penes and testicles as the heels, would I be able to balance and walk? Would I be viewed as sexy walking in them? Does the fact that I'm walking on soft penes turn men down, or does it even increase their interest?

So I made myself a pair of high heels with heels shaped like my boyfriend's penis. The heels are printed from a 3D printer with soft silicon-like material. In order to walk in these soft high heels, I need to balance myself with every step I made. I put most of my weight on my toes and managed to finish the walk.

Walking on my boyfriend's soft penis is also a metaphor for my relationship with him.

Technical Description

The 3D model of the heels is a hybrid of two 3D scans. One of the 3D scans is from a cast of a real penis. The other 3D scan is from a sex toy. It was then digitally combined and altered to achieve the ideal look and size.

The heels are printed with silicon-like PolyJet photopolymers, using a technology called PolyJet 3D printing technology.

The work was made possible with the support from LMCC and NYU AMS Lab

Video: Walking in my shoes
Length: 2 mins 13 secs