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.
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.
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.’
A ripple of excitement at the H2O Symposium, where our project made waves with our participatory water quiz! From Panama Canal histories to cholera cabaret, speakers and artists dove deep into Liverpool’s complex relationship with water. Such a joy to see students, academics, and community members swimming in ideas together – from invisible waterways to contemporary ecological activism. We were happy to reveal a teaser of our Cholera Cabaret.
