Our final workshop focused on themes of movement – moving together and creating movement. The group gathered in CAMP on Margate’s Northdown Road for snacks and drinks before walking to the Southern Water Pumping Station, a 40-minute walk along the coast. The high wind dominated the experience, reminding us of a key principle of the project: to be humble and in awe of nature. As we walked, we talked about the sea foam, complex feelings of (dis)ease and being un(safe) in the water, and the clarity of light that made visible the wind turbines off the coast.
The interdisciplinary Flow.Walk.Drag. research team, led by Dr. Natalie Beveridge, made a significant impact at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference held in Liverpool this month (31 March – 3 April).
Groundbreaking Research Poster Presentation
On April 1st, the team presented their innovative research poster titled “Drag Performance as a Methodology for Exploring Human-Microbe Relations: A Case Study of Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli.”
The project challenges traditional science communication methods by employing drag performance art to explore the complex relationships between humans and microbes. Rather than using unidirectional knowledge transfer, this approach creates space for deeper engagement with microbial worlds and their influence on human history and public health.
Dr. Beveridge explains: “Drag is a scientific method that reconsiders relationality. It puts human and non-human bodies and the transmission of information all under the microscope, allowing us to engage with difficult topics in a creative way.”Dr. Alifuoco adds: “Our work with Flow.Walk.Drag. demonstrates how performance methodologies can disrupt traditional hierarchies in scientific knowledge production, enabling horizontal information transmission and non-human perspectives.”
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.
Two poem by one of our Liverpool participants, Ebtisam Elghblawi, who was inspired by our conversationsto 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
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.
