Emma Cocker is a writer-artist whose research focuses on artistic processes and practices, and the performing of thinking-in-action therein. Cocker’s language-based artistic research comprises a matrix of writing, reading and conversation practices, including diverse process-oriented, dialogic-collaborative and aesthetic-poetic approaches to working with and through language. Cocker’s writing has been published in Failure, 2010; Stillness in a Mobile World, 2010; Drawing a Hypothesis: Figures of Thought, 2011; Hyperdrawing: Beyond the Lines of Contemporary Art, 2012; On Not Knowing: How Artists Think, 2013; Choreo-graphic Figures: Deviations from the Line, 2017; The Creative Critic: Writing as/about Practice, 2018; Live Coding: A User's Manual, 2023, and in the solo collections, The Yes of the No, 2016, and How Do You Do?, 2024. Cocker is co-founder of the international Society for Artistic Research Special Interest Group for Language-based Artistic Research. She is Associate Professor in Fine Art, Nottingham Trent University.

Event: Invitation Only



I am currently developing a project entitled Invitation Only for the forthcoming book fair as part of Sideshow, Nottingham. The Sideshow Book Fair presents an afternoon of multiples, zines and bespoke artists’ publications. This independent fair will stock affordable, handmade artists’ books, comics and zines alongside catalogues, rare volumes and limited editions. Stalls include Staple Magazine, Bookworks, Via Vaudeville! Joff & Ollie, John Newling, Hinterland & The Reading Room, Tether, Nottingham Visual Arts, LeftLion, Georgina Barney, Backlit, Emma Cocker, Marit Muenzberg (Lemon Melon), David Berridge (verysmallkitchen), Rachel Lois Clapham (Open Dialogues), YH485 Press, Sovay Berriman, g39 ....

I wanted to use the opportunity of the book fair to further explore ideas around invitational or propositional forms of writing, which I have been developing through a number of recent projects. As such the stall I am proposing for Sideshow is structured around the title Invitation Only and will also be presented in conjunction with a discussion event, R.S.V.P (Répondez, S'il Vous Plaît).


The book fair and discussion event will take place at One Thoresby Street, Nottingham.

Invitation Only brings together a series of book works, pamphlets, readers, scores … that operate at the level of the invitational, instructional or propositional, as potential provocations or departure points prompting future action or enquiry. For the Sideshow Book Fair these works remain as invitations only: they prefer not to be sold - possessed by any single individual - but rather ask to be pursued, used and engaged with as part of the live event itself. Certain items may be purchased after the event: an exchange of goods is made possible only through the conditions set by an initial exchange of conversation. Invitation Only is a platform for presenting and engaging discussion around a body of work produced and curated by artists and writers including David Berridge, Rachel Lois Clapham, Emma Cocker and Marit Muenzberg.

David Berridge, Rachel Lois Clapham, Emma Cocker and Marit Muenzberg have worked together on a number of projects exploring the relationship between writing, exhibition and publication. Invitation Only focuses explicitly on the invitational or propositional imperative within their recent practices in order to develop future dialogue around this shared area of concern. Invitation Only will be followed by an event and panel discussion entitled R.S.V.P where a number of invited speakers address ideas relating to invitational, instructional or propositional forms of writing, text and language through the specificity of their own practices.
R.S.V.P (Répondez, S'il Vous Plaît)
Presentation/Discussion. 6pm.
This event brings together a number of invited speakers to address ideas relating to invitational, instructional or propositional forms of writing, text and language through the specificity of their own practices. Contributors currently include Emma Cocker and David Berridge: a full list of speakers will be confirmed as part of the Sideshow Book Fair.