The project Watering Words is inspired by the concept of hydrofeminism – the idea of connectivity and solidarity of various bodies of water.
Initiated at the beginning of 2022, it is an experiment in the form of a long-term poetic conversation flowing between 3 artists – Joanna Gruntkowska, Małgorzata Suś and Kristina Feldhammer, as well as various water bodies from their surroundings (each of the artists is based in a different country).
It is a durational project based on a repetitive weekly score which aims to create an environment where different waters and forms of artistic expression fuse and enter in dialogue with each other. Every week consists of moving and writing in relation to a source of water chosen by each of us. Afterwards, we receive a randomly assigned text from each other and respond to it visually, auditory or in the form of a letter or physical task.
In our research we also refer to different somatic methods that allow us to explore how our own bodies interact with the watery-essence of other-than-human bodies.
“Imaginaries are made through the entanglements of matters – both wet and wordy”
– Astrida Neimanis, Bodies of Water, Posthuman Feminist Phenomenology, Bloomsbury 2017, s.184
We have built an online platform that serves as a pool for all writings and responses between the three of us. Our collective online practice Encounters offers the chance for anyone interested to become part of the project.