More than 10 years have passed since Rebecca Gates put out her solo debut, Ruby Series. The former member of the Spinanes mostly shifted her energy to other projects: coordinating and managing exhibitions for museums, lecturing at arts centers, composing music for dance and film, participating in performance pieces and stylizing photos for magazines. She also did some bookkeeping, retreated to Rhode Island and helped friends build a movie theater. But as time and money allowed, she also popped back into studios to put together her follow-up, The Float (12XU). Gates will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with her.
Gates: I love to walk. One of the perks of traveling as much as I sometimes do is having the time to walk through strange cities, favorite cities, new and old woods. If I’m home and heading out to trail, it’s my running shoes or sturdy hikers. But in an urban setting, and trying to pack light, it’s more of a crapshoot. Though I’m tall, I like a little heel, preferably square, and though I like a heel, I like those long promenades. Posh-Becks-Super-Wedges, Sun King “inspired” pointillist heels crossed with Greco Roman complicated lacing? Fuck off. I know I complained about consumer culture, but I do believe a nominal amount of well-designed items can make for better work, and offer the small pleasure of a well-lived day.
I have a long-running, mostly good-natured disagreement with my friend, the artist Storm Tharp. I say men have better clothing options than women, and he heartily disagrees. Our argument extends to shoes, though I believe I stand victorious when it comes to shoes, because men have an unlimited choice of good-looking styles that allow them to walk for miles. (And no, I’m not talking Tevas.) So when I find a good pair of shoes I can wear with a dress or pants, that make me feel like I’m a lady and are comfortable enough to live a real life in, I’m in heaven.
Video after the jump.
