A walking tour through Liverpool L8 and Margate, led by drag artists as microorganisms.

Come with us and take a deep dive into hidden water histories, turning sewage into spectacle and cholera into cabaret across Liverpool and Margate’s shores.

Tracing the flow of microorganisms cholera and E. coli through Liverpool and Margate’s historical waterways, our performances reveal the intricate web of human relationships with this fluid resource. From the shared use of wells and washhouses to the impact of industrial pollution on communities, the project viscerally demonstrates how water has always been a social connector, shaping the fabric of urban life.

  • Margate workshop 2 overview

    On March 1st, co-creators and facilitators gathered in Margate for the second of three workshops to discuss sewage, public health concerns, and the impact of pollution on our everyday life. 

    Through creative mapping exercises, participants mapped personal and collective experiences through often vivid examples of interactions with E. Coli and sewage spills. Public health, safety concerns and the impact the sewage crisis has on everyday lives and swimming habits were dominant themes as we mapped our stories onto the map of the coast. We also plotted the history of the sea  as a place of healing and Margate as a location of rehabilitation. This was juxtaposed with our current situation where worries about the sea as potentially unsafe due to sewage dominate. 

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  • Poems for Liverpool

    Two poem by one of our Liverpool participants, Ebtisam Elghblawi, who was inspired by our conversations to write verse .

    Merseyside winds

    In the old Mersey 
    Where tides blow so high menacing
    Breaking space and time
    Disrupting the content of life 
    When wells and tapes scream out loud 
    In the silent water flow 
    Impounded souls 
    A crafted cry, to burn the house
    A tale of explosive purging 
    Where souls were stitched 
    In Liverpool docks 
    Cholera crept and knitted unseen 
    Born a filthy stream
    A storytelling of mended wounds 
    Grave robbing - emboldened corpse dissecting 
    A deadly sip in the dark shadow casting
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  • Liverpool workshop 2 overview

    Our second workshop started with some string figures, winding twine back to remember how we ended up at the Winter Garden on a Saturday afternoon. Continuing with the theme of remembrance, the group shared stories of personal objects that held a strong connection with water. 

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  • Liverpool workshop 1 overview

    Curiosity was the steady current inspiring first the workshop in Liverpool L8. From cholera histories to unruly water refusing to follow straight lines, our L8 co-creators brought such rich experiences to our discussions about water access, migration, aging and sewage systems.

    Thanks @rebeesnaps for capturing these moments!

  • Margate workshop 1 overview

    Our Flow.Walk.Drag. co-creators gathered on a cold Saturday afternoon at Margate’s People Dem Collective HQ. Sharing ginger tea and vegan buns, we dipped our toes into deep conversations about our relationships with the sea, the everydayness of sewage pollution, local ecologies and activist strategies. 

    The workshop began with an introduction from the Flow.Walk.Drag team. They spoke about the purpose of the project, pointed co-creators towards the live ethics document and offered recent (shocking) data about sewage releases by Southern Water. They introduced E. coli – describing the microbe’s key characteristics, its impact on human bodies (positive and negative) and contributions to science and ecology and asked questions like ‘is E. coli misunderstood?’ 

    The group took some time to imagine ourselves as microbes, playfully imagining what our microbial characteristics would be and the conditions we would need to thrive. One co-creator would be a mossy multi-tasker with multiple hands, thriving in the freshness of the lungs. Another would be a hot, sweaty, shy little microbe, always the last to leave the party. Others were characterised by their faith in collective action, inspired by mycelium and collective care. Rest, recharging and hibernation were important for some, and some would be catalysts for action. Life spans ranged from 2-3 weeks (short and sweet) to forever. One microbe was actually ‘the oldest.’

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