In ancient Greece, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was worshipped by both men and women because of her influence over nature, sexuality and fertility. Her priestesses performed sexual acts as a sacrifice for the fecundity of the land and well being of the people. This “sacred prostitution” was intrinsically linked to religion, ritual and public policy, and was viewed as a social service and a form of legitimate commerce.

Now American designer Norene Leddy has come up with the Aphrodite Project, a series of “interactive art work” inspired by the cult of Aphrodite. “The pieces are designed to stimulate discussion about sex work and sex workers’ rights,” explains Leddy. “The project contrasts sex work in antiquity (sacred, legal, part of daily life) with the practice as it is viewed today (illegal, dangerous and covert).”

Part of the project is Platforms, a pair of sandals that integrates embedded technologies and online services to explore and unite the mythology of Aphrodite with the safety and advertising concerns of sex workers, bar girls and party hostesses. The footwear is aimed at bringing these women on par with other public workers whose lives are valued highly because they work in dangerous professions like fire fighting.

Safety is a primary concern of sex workers, even in areas where prostitution is legal. The new sandals have an audible alarm system that emits a piercing noise to scare off attackers. They are also fitted with a built in Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and an emergency button that relay both the prostitute’s location and a silent alarm signal to public emergency services. When confronted with a law enforcement problem, the wearer can relay the signal to sex workers’ rights groups, such as Sangram in India, Pony in New York, Coyote in Los Angeles or Sweat in South Africa. Since both the user and the activists’ group have a record of the call, police negligence can be dealt with later. The wearer can also use the GPS system to locate her friends and co-workers.

The shoes also use the Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) to transmit information. Originally developed in the late 1970s by Bob Bruninga of the US Naval Academy Satellite Lab, it uses amateur radio to send position reports, weather reports and messages between users. This is open to the public, and is also used by police officers, fire fighters and other public service workers across the US.

Another technology that is gaining widespread acceptance on college campuses across the US is Rave Guardian, a GPS-based application, of the New York-based Rave Wireless. It allows students to use their mobile phones as a personal alarm device. Students initiate a timer on their phones. If the timer expires before the student turns it off, Rave Guardian locates the phone and sends signals to local authorities to check on the student.

The Aphrodite Project shoe is a women’s activist’s dream come true. Meena Seshu of Sangram, an organisation based in Sangli, Maharashtra, is excited to know about the new technology. “I think it is a wonderful mechanism. In fact, all women should be able to use it,” she says.

Leddy’s shoes are so designed that the wearer will have her own login to access email and post information on difficult customers. Sex workers can also track customers, set up appointments, create schedules, download audio and video for the shoes, and access health and other resources.

A 3.5-inch LCD monitor on either of the pair plays video clips. This helps a sex worker to solicit more clients. A continually scrolling text overlay allows one to see the wearer’s name, phone number and email address or website. The shoe also has a speaker at the back of the heel, which plays audio tracks associated with Aphrodite: the sound of the ocean at Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite’s birthplace), the waterfall from the Baths of Aphrodite in Cyprus, the cooing of pigeons and other birds. Audio and visual media can be downloaded from the Platforms website.

“Women on the street (in India) must be taught how to use it. They have learnt to use mobile phones effectively, so there is no reason why they cannot learn to use this,” says Meena Seshu. “However, the size of the shoes looks daunting... the potholes would need to be smoothened first!”

With three million sex workers in about 400 red light areas across the country, the Aphrodite Project product would be a welcome innovation, though it needs to be customised for Indian settings and financial conditions.

That said, this technology could be used for more ways in the promotion of products and services. The shoes can serve as an ideal “shock-effect” marketing tool in shopping malls to promote new cell phones, soft drinks, movie launch and other teenage products and services.