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.
In the second half of the workshop we mapped the stories from E. Coli’s point of view and the discussions turned to corporate responsibility, represented in the stories by cynical Southern water ‘suits.’ Through creative storytelling, humor and play, the group created fascinating stories of good and bad E. Coli, profiteers and an evil E. Coli cat in suit. All were infused with a common argument – the need for systemic changes and accountability.
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