One Brown Shoe Exhibition in a Box
2013 / lidded card box, one hundred double-sided cards, folded information sheet / edition of 250 / 5.5" x 4" x 2.25" / photos: Tom Little
The complete published archive of the artwork One Brown Shoe.
One hundred married couples in twelve countries responded to an instruction to each make a single brown shoe using materials found around their homes. They were asked not to discuss the project with their partners and to make their shoe in secret. The shoes were revealed only once both were completed. The resulting one hundred mismatched pairs are depicted in this limited-edition boxed catalogue.
Designed by MASS MoCA's Director of Design; Brett Yasko, each box contains 100 double-sided colour cards printed on extra heavy-weight card stock. A long fold-out text sheet lists the two hundred participants, materials, dimensions and origin of each shoe. Each copy is hand-numbered and signed.
The project is documented as it was created; each shoe is experienced first alone, then in relation to its partner. Each double-sided card represents one married couple. Pairs of shoes may be seen together by holding the cards up to a mirror. The publication may be kept as a boxed archive or displayed as a portable exhibition.
Made during An Artist Residency in Motherhood. Available to purchase online, or in person at Printed Matter in New York City, MASS MoCA and the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. This publication was funded in part by an Emerging Artist of the Year Award from the PCA, and an Artist Opportunity Grant from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.
