London Craft Week 2021

London Craft Week Fashion Artefact in Focus- online event.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate the graduating Masters students from MA Fashion Artefacts and Footwear in this live webinar event which forms part of this years London Craft Week shedule. If you would like to join us for the discussion please follow the link to book a place: TICKETS

UAL website Official Text:

MA Fashion Artefact is a unique course at London College of Fashion, UAL, dedicated to developing and making contemporary fashion products. Traditional craftsmanship and industrial technologies are studied and mastered to a high quality of making. Students’ ideas and philosophies culminate in both wearable and non-wearable objects that assert new meanings to challenge, critique and redefine accessories, reflecting and influencing the world in which we live. 

A showreel of selected film and imagery featured on the London Craft Week website offers an insight into how they explore themes that address material and critical culture, the body and the role of objects within fashion.

To support the showreel, a live panel discussion explores the focus of Artefacts in fashion today. Panelists include Naomi Filmer, course leader for Fashion Artefact; Georgina Goodman, senior lecturer at LCF; Jo Cope, a graduate from Fashion Artefact; and Judith Clark from the centre for Fashion Curation at LCF and ambassador for Michelangelo Foundation.

Walking on Water

A short documentary created at Venice Design Biennial 2021

A short documentary about the making of Walking on Water -a live performance for the Venice Design Biennial 2021 which took place on the roof top of T Fondaco overlooking the Rialto Bridge.

The project create and concieved by Jo Cope, looks at the history of the popular class of women from the 16th century as well as the Venitian women of today. The project celebrates and pays homage to the history and making of the Furlane slipper with project partners Peidaterre - the oldest slipper makers in Venice.

With thanks to VDB curators Francesca Giubilei and Luca Berta who invited me to take part and to the performers, venue and film makers at kinonautstudio.

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