For our opening project as first years we were tasked with making triplex models of a shoe of our choice. With rock climbing being a major part of my background I chose to go for a climbing shoe. This was an intimidating choice as it was my first time working with triplex and I knew that it would be tough to replicate the complex bends and other features. The project consisted of three parts: A 1:1 model replica, a sectional across the length of the shoe and a tool/mold of the shoe. Emphasis was placed on accuracy, attention to detail, neatness of construction and the ability to follow instructions and meet deadlines.

Tenaya Mundaka (UK 8.5)

Our first brief was to make a 1:1 scale replica of the whole shoe. Not knowing that the task was coming meant that I had organised a climbing weekend in Mpumalanga, returning to complete the shoe within half of the given time. I enjoyed the process of officially getting started with the course and learning to use a new medium. I focused on getting the shape and scale of the shoe as close to identical as possible, paying a little bit less attention to detail. I worked off the shape of the shoe whilst on my foot as it changes drastically when worn. I was pleased with the end result for a first attempt, despite the rough, untidy finish and one or two glue spills. I was however much more confident to work with triplex for the next portion of the project.

Our second brief was to make a section of the shoe across its length. Having had more time to experiment with the curves and joining techniques I had a more focused and streamlined plan of what to do. The difficulty with a climbing shoe is that it's essentially a sock with rubber and a Velcro strap. This means that giving a sectional structural integrity is difficult. I was slightly off with the scale and shape but the build and finish quality was much better this time around.

The third and final brief was to make sectional mold of the shoe. This was the most difficult part of the project for me despite having had more experience with using triplex. Climbing shoes consist of multiple layers of leather, synthetics and rubber, making them unsuited for a mold. I had a clear idea of how the mold should look and where certain layers should be, but struggled to make the inverse of every component and join them in the correct order. I was a relief to be able to hide scaffolding within the mold though. 

I really enjoyed the project, especially after being idle during my gap year due to Covid interfering with what I had planned. I definitely wouldn't put triplex on my list of favourite materials to work with but I'm happy to have some experience working with it should I ever need to do so again.