Sometimes you come across a work of art that awakens something in you. That names a thought or feeling that has always been alive in you, but had not yet been given words. That occurred to me when I saw Mandala 1 by Walterio Iraheta in MADC. A circle of seventy white rubber shoes, an installation that commemorates the victims of the Salvadoran civil war. Shoes as silent witnesses, as carriers of stories, history and identity.
What struck me was not only the symbolism of loss and memory, but also the idea that feet are more than a means of moving us. For me, my feet are my wings. They take me to unknown places, let me discover other cultures and give me the freedom to experience the world.
Travelling is not an escape for me, but a way to connect. By walking through streets I do not know, on the other side of the world, by absorbing the rhythm of a city or a landscape, I learn. About people, about customs, about perspectives that differ from my own. And at the same time, every step I take brings me closer to myself.
Now that I am in Costa Rica, I feel it again. My feet touch a different ground, my soul recognizes the adventure. This is why I travel. This is why I design. Because stories are everywhere – in a footstep, a work of art, an encounter that changes your perspective forever. Just as travel teaches me how important language is to truly connect, so does design. Good design is speaking the right language, without words. It touches, conveys what is essential and connects ideas, people and organizations in a way that they intuitively understand.
My feet are my wings. They take me to new stories, just as the right design can convey a story clearly and powerfully.
