A NEW exhibition telling the fascinating story of the first British woman to swim the Channel opens this month.
Fabrica art gallery in Duke Street, Brighton, will be hosting the At Home In The Water exhibition by artist Vanessa Daws from October 15 to November 27.
It will tell the story and history of sea swimming in Brighton, alongside that of Mercedes Gleitze, who is the artist’s inspiration for the new artwork.
Born in Brighton in 1900, Mercedes made her name in October 1927 when she swam the Channel in 15 hours and 15 minutes on her eighth attempt.
Following that success, Mercedes turned her focus to breaking new records by swimming the Straits of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles and all around the Isle of Man.
By the time of her retirement in 1932, her record for endurance swimming was 46 hours.
In January 2022, a blue plaque was unveiled at Mercedes’ place of birth at 124 Freshfield Road, Brighton, to a large and appreciative crowd of sea swimmers and other supporters.
At Home In The Water is one element of an international project called Swimming A Long Way Together, a three-year arts project at several sites 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 her sporting achievements with each event.
Swimming A Long Way Together has emerged as a project from Vanessa Daws’ own long-distance swims, which include the 22km length of Lough Mask in County Galway.
It was during Vanessa’s preparations to attempt to swim the English Channel in 2019 that she first came across the history of Mercedes.
These first hand swimming experiences are always the starting point for her projects.
Vanessa said: “When passing a body of water, be it pond, lake, river or sea, it’s hard for me not to resist the urge to take a swim.
“My work investigates where this drive to swim long distance comes from, the desire to keep on swimming for hours upon hours on end without stopping.
“Is it the sheer thrill of the unknown, to feel the water on our skin, the cold through our body, to adapt our breathing and feel we exist.”
Vanessa has collaborated with artist and musician Ruth Clinton on creating a new film installation.
The exhibition will give visitors a unique insight into the experience of long distance swimming.
The film hovers above and below the waterline, inviting the viewer along with the swimmer 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.
Liz Whitehead, director at Fabrica, said: “In part the film is documentary footage of a marathon swim by Vanessa.
“Vanessa swims continuously, whilst Ruth plays the pump organ from a boat, accompanying her on her journey.
“The labouring of the pump organ, the pushing of its pedals for hours, mimics the kicking legs of the swimmer.
“Its music, like the swimmer's movements, is produced through physical exertion, and the regular intake of breath."
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