Meshing together the swimmer’s inward monologue, the physical sensation of the water and the challenge of the open water endurance swim, the artwork invites us to wonder what strange fascination the sea has for us, why we choose to immerse ourselves in it and feel compelled to try to navigate it.

Vanessa Daws’ inspiration for the artwork is pioneer swimmer Mercedes Gleitze (1900–1981), and the exhibition also tells her fascinating story alongside material about Brighton’s swimming heritage.

Born in Brighton in 1900, Mercedes was the first Englishwoman to swim the Channel in 1927 and was a huge celebrity in her day, lauded for her record-breaking endurance swims. With the recent revival of public interest in sea swimming and its health benefits, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, this has reinvigorated interest in the swimmer and her achievements.

At Home in the Water at Fabrica is one element of an international ongoing project called Swimming a Long Way Together, a multi-sited three-year arts project produced by Vanessa Daws and curator Rosie Hermon. The project follows and celebrates Mercedes Gleitze’s notable endurance swims in Ireland, Northern Ireland and England, connecting with local swimming groups along the way and raising awareness of Mercedes’ sporting achievements with each event.