Words by Smiley Team
The Empathy Museum has launched an unusual shoe shop, which invites visitors to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, literally, and hear the global stories of their owners.
Created by Clare Patey and co-commissioned by Arts Admin as part of an ongoing project, the Empathy Museum, invites audiences to enter what looks like both a giant shoebox and a shoe shop.
This roaming exhibit holds a diverse collection of shoes and audio stories that explore our shared humanity. When you enter, you're greeted by a shop assistant who asks you for the size of your feet, measures them if necessary, and fits you with a pair of shoes belonging to a stranger. The only thing you know about the person who owns the shoes is their name.
Visitors are told to bring their own smartphone and headphones, and listen to the story of the person who owns the shoes.
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The stories showcased in the installation are specially curated to tie in with Good Chance Theatre’s The Walk and London Literature Festival’s theme of friendship.
From a Syrian refugee to a sex worker, a war veteran to a neurosurgeon, you're invited to walk a mile in the shoes of a stranger while listening to their story. The stories cover different aspects of life, from loss and grief to hope and love and take the visitor on an empathetic, as well as a physical journey.
According to Patey, everyone has a story they want to tell. The shoe shop is an immersive experience, and the idea is every time you look down at your feet, you don’t recognise them, and consequently the way you walk might change. If you listen carefully and radically enough, you will find yourself changed, too.
Patey hopes it will alter the way people see the world, by hearing a stranger’s story unfold while wearing their footwear.
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Visitors have felt inspired, and said they appreciated how the concept of empathy had been made tangible. It was a new form of storytelling, just as important, someone said. Because, we can only really work together if we can see things from each other’s point of view.
The Empathy Museum is supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation and this version of A Mile in My Shoes is supported by Arts Council England, Choose Love and the Greater London Authority.
You can find out more about A Mile in My Shoes on the Empathy Museum website and learn how you can support the organisation.
