The Canals of England exist both as an intersection between nature and the manmade, cutting their ways through cities and the countryside. ‘In Presence of Still Water’ is an open-ended photographic exploration of the eclectic mix of people that choose to make the waterways their home.

Stemming from my own experiences growing up in a terraced house; living in a caravan during lockdown; and my mum moving onto a boat afterward, my interest lies in people's connections to a sense of place and community, and what led them here.

It’s a physically demanding lifestyle that draws people for many reasons. Some stumble upon it by chance, and some see it as a way to get closer to nature, while others find that with rising living costs, a boat is the only way they could own their own home. For some, it represents one of the last remaining nomadic lifestyles, seeking a sense of freedom in transient spaces.

It's a way of life that on one hand can be so constrained yet freeing, and draws on our longing to escape the chaos of society and return closer to nature, existing on an intersection between the two. It forms mismatched communities of people from different walks of life, who're often willing to help one another due to their shared way of living.

Among them are artists, accountants, beauticians, teachers, plumbers, harpists, and even a motorbike mechanic-turned-spiritualist ambler.

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This project began quite organically for me, stemming from my own personal ties to the canals: with my mum and her girlfriend both moving on to boats around and after Lockdown.

Alternative ways of living have always been common in my life, from my own experiences living in a caravan over lockdown, to the people I grew up around through festivals, but these spaces were always dominated by a particular type of “alternative” people. On the canals, though being what I would consider a rather alternative lifestyle, I’ve found there's such a broad range of people that choose to make it their home. There’s an artist, a plumber, a lawyer, a bicycle mechanic-turned-spiritualist ambler, and a student harpist just to name a few.

This project to me is about exploring and depicting the diversity of people that make the canals their home, and exploring the relationship between people, space & place when they’re both so constrained yet fluid.