Movement, mapping and architecture are central to the work of Despo Sophocleous. Her necklaces are a visual articulation of the vocabulary of place, of being in a certain place at a certain time as well as the transformative effects of movement and change and the stillness that comes with stopping. Linked by rope like marionettes, the sawn pieces retain their draft marks – lines mapping her making process. There is unity and symmetry to the composition of the forms, falling gently and rhythmically like sand passing through an hourglass. 

Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1977, Despo first studied philosophy and anthropology before going on to complete her BFA in jewellery and metalsmithing at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. In 2008 she moved to Munich to study under Otto Künzli at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, graduating in 2015. Despo has won several awards for her work and has exhibited extensively in Europe, North America and Asia.