TOMS at Camp and Furnace

The malleable space that is Camp and Furnace is currently finding a home for the touring TOMS Art of Giving project.

Camp and Furnace is the second stop on their tour of UK and Ireland. TOMS invited prominent local artists to re-imagine their shoes and eyewear as canvas. The theme is on the nature of giving and the eclectic mix of interpretations transforms the space into a surreal, brash and bedazzling shoe emporium.

Notable for its philanthropic ideals, TOMS are promoting the works on display as part of a silent auction to raise funds for local charities. In Liverpool, the artworks are being auctioned with proceeds going to The Liverpool Royal School for the Blind.

The artists’ imaginative mindscapes exploded all over the TOMS; ranging from depictions of Crosby Seascapes to shoes entirely encrusted with precious mineral stones; sunglasses offering tree vision and disturbing screen printed eyes.

The shoes, en masse, are even more outlandish than Warhol’s infamous shoe depictions from his New York Commercial period in the 1950’s, but all share the New York Pop artist’s ability to transform the ordinary with the extraordinary.

TOM’s One for One project promises that, for each pair of shoes or sunglasses they sell, they’ll donate a pair of shoes or give eyesight to someone in need. Hey, we know it’s marketing, but at least it’s with a heart.

TOMS: One for One
The Art of Giving Tour
7th Nov – Wednesday, 21st Nov; Mon – Sat; 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Camp and Furnace

Pic: Matt Ford’s TOM interpretation