Caregivers of the River
Book design produced for the Lore & Ware Situated Practice in collaboration with the House of Illustration
Category
Caregivers of the River is a project produced in the ‘Lore & Ware: A Situated Practice’ module in collaboration with the House of Illustration. The House of Illustration is currently constructing a centre at the historic New River Head and partnered with our group to create work that uses life records to connect with living voices and memories related to the New River.
The New River has a rich history of over 400 years, so I began researching communities that gather around the New River. One group, the Soul Swimmers, was founded by Debbie Croydon and Audrey Livingston. This group of Black and Asian women gather to swim in the West Reservoir, which is fed by the New River. The other group is a small group of 10 Thames River workers, led by Frankie Somers, that walk the entire length of the New River (23 miles) twice a week. These two communities, a voluntary community formed by women who swim in the reservoir, and a somewhat involuntary community of Thames workers who share a duty and passion for the river, never meet, but are connected through water and a common theme of caregiving.
To illustrate the circularity of this theme, I created a double sided concertina book that tells a visual essay of two communities joined by the river, one side that uses it and one side that maintains it. The form of the book has no true beginning or end, which reflects the form of the river as well.
Special thanks and credit: WaterAid / Nikki McClarron
