• Pirate Pete, Just outside Chorley - Pausing for a smoke break whilst working on his boats. He’d bought some old ‘yoghurt-pot’ dinghies and was staying there with his dog as he worked on converting them to a liveaboard – one to sell on, the other to keep. The boats were moored up on a patch of land off the A-road out off Chorley, tucked away in the middle of nowhere. Much of the conversion was done from recycled and repurposed materials, and He and Oli (moored there also) had just hooked up solar panels to the little cabin by the Canalside.

    Pirate Pete, Just outside Chorley

    Pausing for a smoke break whilst working on his boats. He’d bought some old ‘yoghurt-pot’ dinghies and was staying there with his dog as he worked on converting them to a liveaboard – one to sell on, the other to keep.

    The boats were moored up on a patch of land off the A-road out off Chorley, tucked away in the middle of nowhere. Much of the conversion was done from recycled and repurposed materials, and He and Oli (moored there also) had just hooked up solar panels to the little cabin by the Canalside.

  • Pirate Pete's Boat - on the canalside land, just outside Chorley

    Pirate Pete's Boat

    on the canalside land, just outside Chorley

  • Richard - Hebden Bridge

    Richard

    Hebden Bridge

  • Ela & Shaun - Peak Forest Canal

    Ela & Shaun

    Peak Forest Canal

  • Lara, Oxford - We met Lara by chance at a gathering in Oxford. Lara tends a garden in Wolvercote near her mooring, growing plants for their medicinal properties, though others see it as a plot overgrown with ‘weeds’. She keeps it as a safe, non-judgmental space for young people to come, so long as they're respectful of the space, and supports them with their mental health where she can. She’s one of the most genuine and switched-on on people I’ve met, but she prefers to have a bit of fun.

    Lara, Oxford

    We met Lara by chance at a gathering in Oxford. Lara tends a garden in Wolvercote near her mooring, growing plants for their medicinal properties, though others see it as a plot overgrown with ‘weeds’.

    She keeps it as a safe, non-judgmental space for young people to come, so long as they're respectful of the space, and supports them with their mental health where she can. She’s one of the most genuine and switched-on on people I’ve met, but she prefers to have a bit of fun.

  • Nick - Deansgate, Manchester

    Nick

    Deansgate, Manchester

  • Bill & Skye - Outside Blackburn, Leeds to Liverpool Canal Bill’s a Plumber by trade, and a committed motorbike enthusiast. I photographed him as he was getting ready with his family to go out to watch the match that day. That summer, he and Skye spent 6 months biking round Canada whilst his friend looked after the boat.

    Bill & Skye

    Outside Blackburn, Leeds to Liverpool Canal

    Bill’s a Plumber by trade, and a committed motorbike enthusiast. I photographed him as he was getting ready with his family to go out to watch the match that day. That summer, he and Skye spent 6 months biking round Canada whilst his friend looked after the boat.

  • Luna -

    Luna

  • Luna -

    Luna

In Presence of Still Water - 2023-24 (Ongoing)

Projects


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

It’s a way of life that on one hand can be so constrained yet freeing, and draws on our longing to escape the complexities of society and return closer to nature. 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 professional divers. 

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.

-