Venice Design Biennial 2021

‘Women Walk on Water’ at The Venice Design Biennial 2021

Walking on Water - Conceptual shoes - Jo Cope 2021

Walking on Water is a live performance by UK artist and conceptual shoe designer Jo Cope which will take place on the roof top of T Fondaco over looking the water and the famous Rialto bridge for the Venice Design Biennial.

This all female performance including dancers, shoe makers and an operatic singers will bring to life Jo Copes unique conceptual fashion interpretation of the book 'Working Women in Early Modern Venice' by Monica Chojnacka.

The performance has been developed over the last year in conjunction with VDB to celebrate two key aspects of Venetian history- Its women and its most historical slipper.

As part of this project and performance Jo Cope has collaborated with Piedaterre the oldest slipper makers in Venice, situated centre stage will be a female artisan who will be hand crafting Furlane slippers while dancers perform around her. The performance which will take place for the public between 21-22nd May on the the roof top of T Fondaco 6 times per day will be accompanied by renowned Italian soprano singer Lieta Naccari and four female dancers of diverse age and ethnic origins all who currently live in Venice.

Furlane Slippers by Piedaterre - project partners in Venice

Walking on Water performance on the roof top of T Fondaco Venice

Walking on Water performance by Jo Cope - photography Veronika Motulko

Jo Cope in Crafts Magazine

Jo Cope talks to Malaika Byng for Crafts Magazine’s Mind and Body Issue -MAY/JUNE 2021

Crafts Magazine May/June issue - OUT NOW

Photography of Jo Cope by Thom Atkinson for Crafts Magazine

“one of the items of clothing that I always return to is the shoe. Its iconic and has so much historical symbolism about female sexuality and repression”

read the full article and get your copy here > Crafts Magazine

Jo Cope in Studio shot by Thom Atkinson for Crafts Magazine.

Jo Cope joins Haute Couture Exhibition

Jo Cope’s handcrafted wooden footwear artefacts join the historical International Clog Museum in the Netherlands for the Haute Couture exhibition March - Nov 2021

Shelter Charity reflects on colab with Jo Cope

Shelter Charity marketing manager reflects on the Shoes Have Names project.

Leg cast signing designed by Jana Zornik for exhibition visitors

How to discover a new way of story telling by using agile and innovative ideas

Richard Hudson - Shelter Charity Senior Marketing Mangaer talks to Charity Comms about his experience of working on Skunkworks projects with curator Jo Cope- read about it here ! -> click for article

Shelter x GFW

SHELTER X GRADUATE FASHION FOUNDATION ACTIVISM COMPETITION

Following on from the success of the Shoes Have Names project at London Craft Week 2020- I am very pleased to be able to announce that I have been working with Graduate Fashion Week Foundation and Shelter Charity on the launch of a social fashion project. This is an amazing opportunity for final year BA students across multi fashion related disciplines. The aim of the project is to enable students to find their activist voice ‘as the potential future renters’ to help Shelter the homeless charity gain more attention for their important work fighting the housing emergency.

for more information on how to enter this competition visit the link to the GFW competition page -> https://www.graduatefashionweek.com/competitions