Methods
Over the seasons of one-year, this project will be developing an ethnography of the swimming community of England's longest river.
Summer 2025: Listening to the Thames.
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The first part of this project seeks to capture the voice of the River Thames. For one month, I am walking from the source of the Thames to the sea. Using a variety of methods, including taking nitrate and phosphate measurements and recording the life drawn to the Thames, I aim to listen to this river as it journeys across England.
Autumn 2025 to Summer 2026: Listening to Thames swimmers.
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From Autumn 2025, I will be immersing into the swimming community of the River Thames. I will be swimming with swimmers in stretches of the river to explore their relations to the Thames and their experiences of river swimming. This is an immersive project that, quite literally, dives into the Thames.
Taking part
You can take part in this research project if you are 18+ years of age and a river Thames swimmer. From Autumn 2025, I will be interviewing Thames swimmers to explore your engagements with the river and what the river and river swimming mean to you. I will ask you about your river swimming practices, your experiences of river swimming and your perceptions of the River Thames.
Across the seasons of one year, I would love to meet you four times to revisit these themes, in Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. These meetings can be held at a stretch of the Thames of your choosing and either individually or with your swimming group. If conditions allow, we will carry out a swim-along interview, swimming in the Thames as we chat. If not, we can meet and talk besides or near the river. I will record these conversations on a GoPro and write fieldnotes following our meeting.
