Sophie Sleigh-Johnson

In 2024, Sleigh-Johnson’s first book Code: Damp – An Esoteric Guide to British Sitcoms was published by Repeater Books. Investigating the intersections of the sacred, comedy and art production, the book harnesses latent cultural forces and collective memories whose code is written in the microbial metaphor and esoteric symbol of damp. In fusing artists writing with philosophy and ancient writing systems, the book’s mythopoetic reading of cultural forms and fictions operates its own undoing in what it proposes as an operative practice of ‘de(sur)facement’.

Her research practice is distributed across spoken word, sonic environments, printmaking, props, costumes, moving image, and local newspapers. She has exhibited in venues including Focal Point Gallery, The Horse Hospital, and Arcadia Missa and her work has been screened at The BFI Southbank and The Birmingham MAC.