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What really is the story of water? The water molecules in our bodies have travelled space, perhaps they have visited the depths of the ocean, or passed through the bodies of worms or trees. You can tell a hundred stories of water, in words, in movements, in the play of water itself, in music, and it will barely touch the surface.
My own fascination with water drew me to explore how our attraction to water can help us reconnect playfully with nature, and the joy and grief that connection entails in the context of the ecological and climate crisis we all face. This idea of telling the many stories of water is a means of connecting to the world beyond what we usually think of as human, recognising the ecosystems that we are a part of and that we provide in our own bodies for other life.
Water is Attracted to Water began as a theatre performance but developed into a larger project. We have released a short film One Day We Will Dance With You, a Water is Attracted to Water EP and created a Water Molecule Dance and workshops exploring the human relationship with water through movement, memories, drawing and games. The Water is Attracted to Water website has information about the whole project and our upcoming workshops and events.
At the heart of the project has been an interest in bringing together different perspectives. The theatre show puts on stage a scientist, a musician an actress and a performance maker and the short film brings a whole community of people together to do the Water Molecule Dance. If we want to make changes in the way we relate to the natural world and each other - to move away from seeing ourselves and the world as resources - we need to find a way to reconnect. This means across different cultures, experiences, disciplines, across species and ecosystems.
Water is central to the emergence and continuation of life on earth. It is also a metaphor for the fluidity and the connections we need to build. Because water molecules really are attracted to water molecules.
Water is Attracted to Water has been developed with funding and support from Arts Council England, EU funded research project, WATERAGRI, ARC Stockton Arts Centre, New Adelphi Theatre, University of Salford and Lund University. This project has received funding from European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement No. 858735.
