A giant shoebox on Canterbury high street sponsored by the University of Kent is inviting shoppers to literally walk a mile in the shoes of a stranger.
Installed as part of the Canterbury Festival from 16 to 31 October, Empathy Museum’s free interactive artwork, A Mile in My Shoes, encourages visitors to put on a pair of shoes and listen to the stories of those who wore them.
Clare Patey, the artist behind the project said: “The idea is that you look down and the shoes don’t look like your own as they’re actually someone else’s, so you’re embodying that other person. As you walk, you’re going on not only a physical, but an emotional and, hopefully, empathetic journey.
“Although we connect in different ways to peoples’ stories because we bring our own stories to that experience, we will find those points of connection and begin to empathise with another person and maybe someone that we wouldn’t come across in our everyday lives.”
Aws Khalid, a Kent Sanctuary Scholar and President of the student-run Sanctuary Society, is amongst those who have contributed their testimonies to the artwork, which collects new stories from every place it travels.
Aws said: “My voice represents a lot of others who don’t have the ability to share their stories. I want people to come to this place and hear the stories of many others who have suffered, who would appreciate just that little bit of belonging.”
Awarded University of Sanctuary status last year, Kent – which is now part of the London and South East University Group (LASE) – supports refugees and people seeking asylum to access education and feel part of University life. Its support for a Mile in My Shoes builds on a decade-long partnership with the Canterbury Festival.
A visit to a Mile in My Shoes on the opening day. From left to right: Professor Iain Wilkinson, Amanda McKean, Susannah Stevenson, Aws Khalid, Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura
Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of LASE, visited the artwork on its opening day. She said:
“At the University of Kent, we’re creating a place of belonging where students can really feel that they’re part of something, and that includes making sure that we understand each other’s stories. Not everybody comes from the same place, but we’re all shaped by who we are and where we’ve been. Our support for A Mile in My Shoes is really about embracing that idea but also the power of the arts in helping people understand our human stories. We are proud to support artwork that gives people the space to share their own stories in their own voice.”
Susannah Stevenson, Festival Director and Chief Executive, said:
“We are very proud to have brought A Mile in My Shoes to Canterbury for this year’s Festival, which sits as part of our “Journeys” strand, centring on themes of pilgrimage and migration. It’s playful shoebox exterior hides a quietly powerful experience – and one that anyone can take part in, thanks to it being completely free. We were delighted when the University of Kent chose to sponsor this free installation, and to support us in collecting the story of one of their Sanctuary Scholars, Aws. I hope everyone will come by and try walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.”
Following a visit to the installation, Professor Randsley de Moura took part in the Festival’s Canterbury: City of Sanctuary event alongside representatives from Canterbury Cathedral, Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) and Canterbury Christ Church University to explore the district’s ambition to become a City of Sanctuary and its history of welcoming people fleeing violence, conflict and persecution.
On this, Professor Randsley de Moura said:
“As a University of Sanctuary we are committed to working with partners across the district so that Canterbury is a place where warm welcome is not just an aspiration, but something people genuinely experience in everyday life.”
A Mile in My Shoes is free to visit and open from 11:00-16:00 between Friday 16 and Saturday 31 October, located at the corner of High Street and Best Lane in Canterbury city centre (closed Monday 26 October).