‘Turning Point’ Image courtesy of Jo Cope.

Main gallery, The Hub, Sleaford UK
2 Dec -17 Mar 2024

Feet: Sacred symbols of wisdom in some religions and cultures, the lowest unholy limb in others. Love or hate feet this furthest extremity of the body is often hidden or overlooked. Not everyone uses their feet as their primary mode of transport, those using wheelchairs being one example, but all humans take a journey through life, and it is this concept of the shoe as a vessel to express an aspect of the human condition that Cope is interested in.

Jo Cope is an artist based in the East Midlands. Her work explores the idea that shoes and feet carry deeper meanings and wisdom. With a background in fashion, performance and leathercraft, Jo has spent the last decade reimagining an alternative life for shoes.

Shoe making Is rooted in her family history. Her grandfather was a cobbler and her grandmother was a heel coverer most of her life. This exhibition explores her handcrafted footwear artefacts, recent films, as well as new site specific interactive artworks.

In this exhibition the audience are asked to think through their feet, considering walking as a metaphor for life’s journey, with shoes, paths and directions as moral and symbolic guides. Jo is interested in encouraging a deeper look at the power that might be hidden in our feet and their potential to impact positive thoughts and actions, as well as exploring the wider gallery environment as a cathartic space for healing, inspiration and self-reflection.

Exhibition Events:

• Feb 3rd 2024: Workshop with Kelly Barfoot – Drawing Feet From Life  £20 (16+)

• Feb 24th 2024: Jo Cope Artist Talk/Exhibition Tour 2-3pm

  3-4pm Talk Rebecca Shawcross, Senior Curator at the Shoe museum Northampton – Shoes: Powerful and Personal Symbols

Free, Everyone welcome, please book