Swim

JULY 12, 2007
VENUES ACROSS LONDON

The Element of Water

Of course we come from it, we are surrounded by it and mainly composed of it, we depend on it to live but
most of the time are unaware or careless of it. Penned in by council-run swimming pools, ‘owned’ by large
private companies and sectioned off by private health clubs, it seems we have a troubled relationship with
water: on the one hand, it is readily available, it comes gushing out of our taps, but on the other hand, it is
becoming less and less accessible, and less and less part of our lives in this river city.

SWIm

On July 12, 2007, live artist Amy Sharrocks is making an all-access, open-invitation performance event called SWIm, in which she will be joined by 50 people to swim across London, travelling from Tooting Bec
Lido to Hampstead Heath ponds via 15 public swimming baths, lakes and lidos across the capital.

SWIm, with its cast of 50 people, is a huge participatory piece exploring the relationship between water
and human need via a collective consciousness. Like the writings of JG Ballard, Sharrocks’ work explores
a disconnection within modern city life, but instead of the violence he uses, she uses humour and a serious
exploration of the random as a way of reconnecting people to a vivid feeling of aliveness. The day will be
filmed, with a 4-camera shoot.

Journeys, either as metaphor or by actual traveling, are central to Sharrocks’ work, and over the next 2
years she is embarking on series of journeys that investigate how contemporary Londoners connect with
water in their urban landscape. Ideas of time, life and death are all bound up in our experience of water, and
in SWIm examines the bathos of exploring such lofty ideas with the much smaller claims of crossing urban waterways.

SWIm will start at Tooting Bec Lido at 6am on July 12 and finish at Hampstead Heath Ponds at 8pm on the
same day. Participants will swim approx 15 pools, lakes and lidos throughout the day within the boroughs
of Wandsworth, Lambeth, Southwark, City of Westminster and Camden.

Agencies such as Artsadmin, Waterwise, Anti-Apathy will be available to meet with the public and
contextualise the work for interested onlookers from an ecological and environmental perspective and within
a live art context.

SWIm is created by live artist Amy Sharrocks and is supported by Camberwell Arts and Artsadmin.
Further support comes from participating pools, lakes and lidos and the local authorities of LB
Wandsworth, LB Lambeth, LB Southwark, City of Westminster and LB Camden, the Live Art Development
Agency and New Work Network.

6am - Tooting Bec Lido - Tooting Leisure Centre Balham Leisure Centre - Brockwell Lido - Camberwell
Leisure Centre - Queen Mother Sports Centre – 12 noon The Serpentine - Seymour Leisure Centre -
Porchester Centre - Jubilee Sports Centre - Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre - L.A. Fitness Highgate -
Parliament Hill Lido – 7pm Hampstead Heath Ponds

www.iwanttoswim.co.uk