Conceptual Clothing was an Ikon Gallery touring exhibition in the UK, 1986-1988. The artist/curators of this exhibition, Fran Cottell and Marian Schoettle, revisit their collaboration on this and other exhibitions in UK and USA. Monica Bohm-Duchen’s essay from the original catalogue is reproduced alongside newly compiled documentation of the exhibition and Cottell and Schoettle’s other collaborations. This forms the first part of the book.
Their conversation is accompanied by a new reader on feminism and art that refers to clothing. The second part of the book was selected by Katy Deepwell.
Essays from Canada, USA, France, The Netherlands, Italy and UK, in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s where dress is considered in relation to feminism, form the reader.
Texts by:
Monica Bohm-Duchen ‘Clothing as a subject for art’ (1986);
Aline Dallier-Popper (1974) ‘Le Soft Art et les femmes’;
Anne-Marie Sauzeau-Boetti (1976) ‘Negative Capability as Practice in Women’s Art’;
Carrie Rickey (1979) ‘Art of Whole Cloth’;
Maureen Connor (1979) ‘Form Follows Fashion’;
Carter Ratcliff (1982) ‘Forms in Fabric’;
Marysia Lewandowska (1983) ‘Textile Performance’;
Janis Jefferies (1983) ‘Fiber Art’;
Fran Cottell ‘(1988) ‘A Year in Performance’;
Julie Schafler Dale (1990) ‘Wearables: Developments and Trends’;
Mieke Mekkink (1992) ‘A world without shadow’;
Nina Felshin (1993) ‘Empty Dress: Clothing as Surrogate in Recent Art’;
Patricia C. Phillips (1994) ‘Beverly Semmes’;
Paula Marincola (1995) ‘Fabric as Fine Art: Thinking Across the Divide’;
Renee Baert (1998) ‘Three Dresses: Tailored to the Times’.

Marian Schoettle

Conceptual Clothing Revisited