We want to equip men to make a meaningful contribution at a table that once belonged to patriarchal power and must now belong to everyone.  Men have struggled to adjust to that shift, but we all need to sit around that table.

There has never been a greater need to talk, but we know that men have historically done a lot of the talking. Men must recognise that patriarchal privilege has not delivered. For society, for humanity or for the planet.

We support models of masculinity that promote collaboration instead of domination. This is how we can move forward from the zero sum game mentality of our current culture. We want to promote awareness among men of the value that diverse perspectives can bring to the conversation, starting by reinventing the all male space to be more inclusive, more flexible and more conscious of the historic privilege of men.

Barefoot Man brings together several long-standing components of modern culture, including spectator sport, filmed entertainment, live performance and visual art.   We use these aspects of everyday life to create tools and experiences that support men to explore healthier versions of masculinity, focusing on the pursuit of meaningful experiences rather than the accumulation of things. 

Our process was not invented in a corporate boardroom or refined through focus groups.  Through an evolving project that has brought together men of different lived experiences, we have developed a range of techniques to explore what we call performative masculinity and performative heterosexuality – two of the defining characteristics of patriarchy.   

Our ultimate goal is to bring men from different lived experiences together to capitalise on the established benefits of diverse perspectives. In doing so, we hope to develop healthier versions of masculinity that serve men (and everyone) better in the 21st century and beyond.  

Barefoot Man is a unique opportunity for men to play an active, visible role – not in resisting change but in joining the rest of us to make the world a better place.