Create awareness around a larger exhibition of sneakers from 1950 until now, and get the target audience, younger urban adults, to actually visit a gallery – something most of them do very rarely, if ever.

Expenses were kept very low. Laces were bought, plates were printed and then assembled before being put up. The outcome was more than 2,500 visitors, coverage in at least four national newspapers and the appearance of the curator of the exhibition on both national morning TV and a music programme targeting young people.

Natural “holes” were found in the streets and parks. Then fat laces with a plate communicating where and when the exhibition was held, were tied up (as on a shoe) in fences, at basket courts, in parks and other places around town.

The idea of using shoe laces in holes found naturally in the environment could easily be used in different cities or countries, as everyone knows what laces look like and 'natural city-holes' are found all around the world. Also the idea could be used (with slight changes) to target an other audience other than young street people. For example, thinner old-fashioned laces could be hung in parks, where elderly people walk their dogs, to promote an exhibition about footwear from 1930s to the 1950s.

The strategy was to target the specific audience when they are actually wearing their trainers; outside. Then we also wanted to target those playing street games and those who run or play in parks – the sporty young adult.

Malkit Singh