Currently, Jo Cook is directing her research into understanding the hidden spaces between individuals and their communities. Her art practice has allowed her to actively explore the exchanges that draw us together and look at the relationships that are not always tangible but remain deeply significant. Through this practice and research, Jo has come to an understanding that the concept of hidden spaces in communities is a way to describe the unspoken, invisible ways people connect with one another. They are unseen, yet vital, relationships that bond individuals together, the DNA of creating community.

Cook’s latest body of work, Thread by Thread, builds on the exploration of this concept of hidden spaces. It is an ongoing collaborative project where participants join her in plaiting small sections of scrap or donated fabric to contribute to large woven hanging works. Each of these woven pieces has been the direct result of a collaborative, personal exchange between the artist and those in the communities around her. Each plait that has been braided is then handstitched together by Cook herself to create these large, almost cellular woven pieces. Whilst there is a strong the focus on the exchanges between collaborators as the key driver for this work, it’s just as important to Cook to show the end results, as they are a celebration of the relational exchanges that have taken place through the collaboration. Displayed as suspended hangings, they are designed to be walked around—allowing viewers to experience a sense of being within the work, rather than observing it from outside. This immersive quality is essential, echoing the experience of being part of a community: connected, contributing, and held within something larger than oneself.