Invite me to swim with you

In July 2024 I sought people interested in having a conversation in water. The conversations lead to the creation of the project Let Water Hold You, and an ongoing interest in water as a body that can care. New works being developed. All bodies, all abilities, all waters, all experiences. 

Okay so I'm not the strongest swimmer, I took swimming lessons as an adult in Arnold, North Nottingham. I knew the basics but I wasn't confident, I'm still not. Really it's not swimming I want to do with you. I want us to experience water together, how it can hold us, how it can help us rest, how we can heal. I'm not someone who's been on spa days, although I do dream of soft, warm bubbles, I'm not someone who swims for fun, although I can imagine rest in floating. Wild water feels brave. But the lur of water is powerful and it feels possible that water can hold us, that water can be a body that has the potential to care. This is what I want to experience with you, our bodies in water, our experience of this mass as a tool for rest. In many different waters with many different bodies.

I'm looking for people interested in a shared experience, I would like to record some of our conversation and glimpses of the water we are held in, or held by. Maybe we simply drink water, maybe we float, maybe we talk in the pool showers, maybe it’s a new experience for you too, or a place you always go to. If it costs to go in, I can pay. I want to be led by you. 

Although the call is now closed, I'm still exploring water as a body that cares, get in touch if you also feel drawn to water in this way.

This project is a part of the Spike Island Engagement Fellowship 2024, a residency where mentored  four young artists who have a connection to Bristol. We collectively explored how to find a space that has the potential to care. The resulting work was live on the Spike Island website for July 2024.