History of Pendragon year by year – 1996

In 1996 as its name suggests, “Visions of the Absurd in the Age of Reason” was a whimsical and rather eccentric exhibition. It included about 15 largely unwearable shoes and boots that fitted into the theme “the Age of Reason”…that period in the 1800s known for its discoveries and inventions.  Some of the featured exhibits were prototypes of a fictional failed serial inventor Arthur Crump (wheel boot and “one size fits all” and a series of shoe animal specimens from Charles Darwin’s personal collection. These were later to influence his theory in “On the Origin of Footwear”. There were also nods to Lewis Carroll (teapot boot sole inscribed with the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party prose about the dormouse), and Salvador Dali (boot with drawers).

We staged a full costume arts ball with live acts from a string of performing artists, an absurd orchestra and a kissing booth! This was held at the Zoo nightclub in the Valley in Brisbane. A truly wonderful evening!