Open Call

Open Call for Feet and Shoe Portraits  -to be displayed as part of Jo Copes’ upcoming show at the Hub gallery in Sleaford opening December 9th 2023.

Paint, draw, photograph, sculpt- feet and shoe self-portraits accepted in any media.

To work with the shows aesthetics we are asking for the portraits to be in either red, black and white, grey scale or flesh tones as the predominant base, other smaller highlights or background colours are welcome.

The only other parameters are that it should be created in landscape orientation, we recommend making paintings and drawings at A3 size or larger so that they photograph at high resolution and photographing sculptures on A3 paper backgrounds. If you have scanning facilities for 2D work this is also a great option.

The Portraits will be displayed as part of a sliding gallery on a TV screen.

Be creative with photography, this could be an interesting composition on a simple white background or your feet in an interesting place or situation; stroking a cat, walking in water, abstracted, entwined with other limbs, old and young feet combo -grandparent and grandchild comparisons, what can you come up with?

Jo Cope - Bath Jewels - Photography 2023

When drawing your feet or shoes you might want to try setting up a mirror to capture a side profile, or to see your soles or you could try drawing them from an ariel view looking down or by putting them up on a table.

If you don’t think you can draw but want to have a go, try a simple continuous line drawing or a collage maybe? Or try sculpting your foot in a 3D material, plasticine to broken pot mosaic. All feet, shoes and processes welcome.

Caroline Gurnett - Single line drawing - trainers in red posca pen

How to submit your work

For painting, sculpture and multimedia work please photograph your artwork in good light in landscape Orientation.

Photography please send original images minimum 1 mg minimum-5 mg maximum 300dpi.

Information to include: In your email submission: Name, age (if under 16) portrait title (optional) Town, Country (optional) Instagram account tag name where relevant.

Copyright: By submitting an artwork you give us the rights to use your images for display purposes for the duration of the show and for social media or promotion use for the Hub gallery and artist Jo Cope. If we wish to use your portraits further in the future we will contact you first.

Display: Shoe portraits will be in the learning zone connected to the gallery space and will be used to inspire visitors for the duration of the show.

The team reserve the right to select portraits for display that they believe best represent the show in content and quality.

 If your submission isn’t high enough quality, then we may ask you to photograph it again or send the original.

Submission amount: maximum 3 pieces.

Deadline- we are looking for submissions initially up until 1st November for the opening. There will also be opportunities to submit throughout the duration, so please submit even if you miss the deadline as we will be adding portraits once the show has opened.

Email to Jo Cope at  Info@jocope.com

Q & A Sludge Mag

Article by Martyn Ewoma read here > Sludge Mag - Jo Cope

TEXTUS

TEXTUS: in-between text and textile 9th July – 3rd September AN EXHIBITION AND COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECT AT THE TORRIANO MEETING HOUSE, KENTISH TOWN – knit – note – knot – quote – weave – word – sew – song – thread – thought – text – textile – TEXT – US –

The Torriano Meeting House is delighted to present TEXTUS: in-between text and textile, an exhibition and community arts project bringing together over 30 artists and poets whose work explores the entangled relationship between text and textile. TEXTUS, the Medieval Latin root of ‘text’ and ‘textile’, meaning ‘thing woven’, but also, TEXT US! Woven conversations, stitched stanzas, wearable magazines and lyrical garments fill the space. Nina Mingya Powles presents a patchwork wall hanging made from cyanotypes and inherited fabrics alongside an accompanying zine that threads connections between memory and nature; Jo Cope investigates the ‘language of feet’ in her handcrafted shoe sculptures; Chika Oduah’s poetry-film sounds as an ode to the African woman’s headtie; Rohma Khan etches Amrita Pritam’s poetry into her heirloom chador, addressing the 1947 partition of Punjab; Shelly Goldsmith contemplates our relationship with other species as she sews poetic clothing labels into reclaimed polyester fabrics. Poems hang in conversation with the artworks. The TEXTUS poets reflect on fabric’s importance in our lives in an array of processes, including the formation of identity, memory, and relationships. This interdisciplinary exhibition offers visitors new and playful ways into poetry, inviting them to enjoy words in their tactile and textile form.

Right Direction shoe artwork- Jo Cope - 2022

TEXTUS is not static; it is unfolding, refolding and enfolding. Drawing on the identity and history of the Torriano as a meeting house, TEXTUS calls for collaboration between its displaying artists, poets and visitors. Visitors are encouraged to relax on a sofa or chair, converse and use the provided writing materials to respond to the exhibited works. They are invited to TEXT their responses to textus.network@gmail.com, which may be shared on the TEXTUS Instagram and/or performed at the venue’s regular poetry readings. Throughout the exhibition, there will also be a number of free artist-led workshops offering further opportunity for deep engagement with the displayed works. So, take up a pleat between text and textile and use the Torriano as a meeting house to exchange ideas, collaborate, create, and form relationships that will outlive the exhibition build. TEXTUS is a non-profit exhibition run entirely by volunteers. We look forward to meeting you, seeing your responses and growing the TEXTUS network!

Participatory action poem, performed by Jo Cope on the opening night of Textus

TEXTUS features over 30 artists and poets: Timothy Adès, Jennifer Aldred, Anouk Beckers, Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Oliver Comins, Jo Cope, Josephine Corcoran, Natalie d'Arbeloff, Keri Finlayson, Jackie Goode, Sylee Gore, Shelly Goldsmith, Rose HighamStainton, Raisa Kabir, Lisa Kelly, Chris Kerr, Rohma Khan, Henrica Langh, Emma Lee, Patrizia Longhitano, Stuart McKenzie, Siobhan McLaughlin, Chika Oduah, Ben Philipps, Nina Mingya Powles, Lavinia Singer, Kathryn Southworth, Keziah FlorinSefton, Lottie McCrindell, Tim Waller, Ellis Warren, Grace Warren, Thomas Whittaker, Stephen Paul Wren, Onosiokhue Yakubu TEXTUS is curated by Keziah Florin-Sefton and Lottie McCrindell. With assistance from Onosiokhue Yakubu, Isobel Landell Mills, Phoebe Ingleby and Miriam Agiru.

If you would like any further information or images of the selected artworks, please email: textus.network@gmail.com

Information Address: Torriano Meeting House, 99 Torriano Ave, London, NW5 2RX Opening times: 9th July – 3rd September Weekends, 11am-6pm and by appointment in the week. Contact: textus.network@gmail.com

Press release

Shoe Fantasies exhibition

Shoe Fantasies exhibition opens at the Pecs gallery, Hungary

2023.06.09. - 2023.09.03.

Pécs Gallery

This exhibition will make you wonder “What’s a shoe?” If we don’t immediately identify the shape of the shoe, is it a shoe? There is conceptual and layered work that makes you look twice, because here is much more happening than a pair of wearable shoes. Does the shoe have to be wearable to be a shoe?

The exhibition presents a remarkable selection of footwear by International and Hungarian artists and designers. Some approach it from the point of view of construction and expression, others from the study of materials and technique. The multifaceted potential of shoes as a creative medium is reflected not only in the shoes themselves, but also in installations, photographs and videos.

Cipőfantáziák / Shoe Fantasies is the result of a cooperation between Pécs Gallery and the Virtual Shoe Museum, curated by Liza Snook and Amber Ambrose Aurèle Verstegen.

VirtualShoeMuseum.com is a digital platform for shoe enthusiasts and professionals, where you can search shoes by designer, color, type or material. There is a wide choice of materials: shoes made of leather, textile, jellyfish, glass, sugar, blood, seaweed and many others.

Liza Snook has collected almost everything to do with shoes: wearables she has found while travelling, books about shoes, postcards, articles. In 2004 she created this digital platform with her partner Taco Zwaanswijk, where you can find an extensive choice of shoes: wearable shoes, paintings, sculptures, illustrations or videos. From this collection she creates exhibitions about shoes in art and design, in collaboration with various museums, galleries and events around the world.

"Women in high heels are more dangerous than a loaded gun" said Dutch designer Amber Ambrose Aurèle, who is known for her 'sky-high heels'. She explores the boundaries of fashion and art through her shoe design. As a designer she wants to build a bridge between her love for art, fashion, the human body, cultures, craftsmanship and sustainable or innovative techniques and materials. Her work has been featured in several exhibitions and fashion magazines around the world. She teaches the new generation of designers in the Netherlands and China.

These Shoe Fantasies were specially selected for the exhibition presented as part of the Prologue of the LOKART Festival in Pécs.

A must see for everyone!

The exhibition is open from 9 June to 3 September 2023.

Tickets and further info > Pecs gallery website

image credits: Judit Ruprech, Amber Verstegan, Kobi Levi, Liza Snook

Best Foot First: Interview with the artist Jo Cope - The Costume Society

Best Foot First: Interview with the artist Jo Cope - The Costume Society

Read it here >> Interview

Interview BY FRANCINE MCMAHON

In this week's blog, Costume Society Ambassador Francine McMahon shares her interview with the incredible artist Jo Cope, in which we gain an insight into her inspiration and artistic process. Jo's work centres around feet and shoes, exploring the physical, social, emotional, and psychological histories embodied in them - some of our members may have been lucky enough to see her work in person at exhibitions such as the Venice Design Biennial, or in her solo shows like the recent 'Only Shoes Can Save us Now' in her hometown of Leicester.

Only Shoes Can Save Us Now - Jo Cope Exhibition at Leicester Gallery 2022/3