Hope & Ponies

a factory of hope

Hope & Ponies is new work under development.

a person wearing red shoes stands on a chair, their body hidden by a large banner reading hope and ponies

From late 2023, we're creating a new work on hope in collaboration with Ukrainian artist Nadia Sokolenko. Recognising that hope fuels us all, but often needs fuel, we're focused on building hope and making it visible.

Hope is often slippery, evading our efforts to hold onto it, to retain it within ourselves. And hope is a fragile foundation to build upon. Unlike faith, it does not have a counterpart external to ourselves. It is related to (warning: pandemic buzzword…) resilience and determination, but hope lies beneath, feeding those. Hope is an acknowledgement of the uncertainty which pervades our lives, and of our ability to commit despite uncertainty (to a person, to a cause, to enduring seemingly unending suffering). 

As part of the development of this project, we invite you to share your hopes with us — click the button to send us an email letting us know:

What is hope for you?
What does it look like?
What do you imagine hope to be?

In exchange, if you also give us your UK postal address, we'll send you a pack of cards featuring hope-inspired embroidery by Katherina Radeva!

While stocks last!
a woman in a denim dress and red shoes stands in front of a lapped wooden wall waving a banner with the words hope and ponies above bunting and piecework pictures of ponies

Initial concept development supported by Scottish Sculpture Workshop and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford

Development supported by Creative Scotland with BIRCA.

A location-specific version of this project, Hope in Wakefield, is commissioned by Unlimited with support from the British Council, working with The Art House in Wakefield. Kat, Alister and Nadia will spend time with displaced people staying in the Wakefield area as they explore the durability of hope in challenging times.

Are you in Wakefield?
We're working at The Art House in March 2024, and we'd love to meet you at one of the Studio of Sanctuary events or you can email hope@twodestinationlanguage.com.