The ropery takes inspiration from the unique histories of rope making in east London to create a participatory exhibition exploring the material processes of this fundamental but endangered craft.

We invite gallery visitors of all ages to engage in hands-on rope making, spinning, twisting and knot tying.

The exhibition aims to showcase the innovation and creativity of this vital craft, whilst acknowledging the tangled histories of global trade, industrial heritage and the lives of thousands involved in an industry in east London that spanned over 200 years up until the mid 1900s.

Whilst the physical infrastructure of the industry has long been replaced by housing, the local street names, including Cable Street and Twine Court in Shadwell or Ropery Street in Mile End, are left to hold the legacies.

As our contemporary lives move us ever further from a material understanding of the world, The ropery asks us to reengage in modes of embodied learning. Co-created with designer Sanne Visser we invite you to turn your hand to making rope from repurposed materials and learn the fundamentals of knot tying. Discover Sanne’s crafted objects throughout, where rope is applied as functional and decorative using hyperlocal materials. A specially created film by Samara Addai evokes the poetry of these processes and explores the trace legacies of these crafts in east London.

The ropery is designed to be a vibrant space for communities to connect through making, to share local histories and to interrogate notions of regenerative practice, circular design and the social contexts of crafting.