This is a 3D scan of one of a pair of leather high heel boots, from the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. They were made in England in around 1870-1875 by an unknown cobbler, as prize work to demonstrate the shoemaker's skill. The boots weren't meant to be worn and didn't conform to contemporary fashion standards.

This was one of ten Museum objects scanned in 3D for Hack the Collection, a public program in the 2014 Sydney Design Festival, which matched ten contemporary Sydney designers with ten objects from the Museum’s collection.

Designers spent two intensive days in the Festival FabLab, creatively manipulating the 3D object files to design their own hacked interpretations in full view of an excited public. At the conclusion of the weekend, the designers’ remixed objects were 3D printed on MakerBots and displayed alongside their original counterpart.

We see our collection as raw assets for inspiration. We encourage you to download and remix our collection as you take it in new directions. We'd love to hear about the new forms and uses you find for our objects – drop us a line to show us your work!