Gurnal Dubs 16th April 2010
What was the last swim round the circumference of the circle is the penultimate of the project. A final swim – a return to Blea Tarn, the start of the swim at its centre – will take place after the exhibition is up.
Strange feelings of ending persist though during the walk up and the swim.
Its familiar territory for us here. Gurnal Dubs was my first open water swim several years ago. It was a sudden decision to enter the water then – an April too, but so cold I couldn’t stay in for more than two minutes. This April its warmer – a pleasant cool.
Afterwards, Richard lolled on the bank near my stone post. I imagined all the waters we had swum in rippling through his head.
Memories.
Paul
Gurnal Dubs 16.04.10
This is the last tarn in the circle before we revisit the centre, Blea Tarn, and finish the project. We have swum here before so that the novelty of an unvisited tarn was replaced by a heap of past associations and the sense of closure of the circle.
The water was a fresh 11.5 degrees – a quick dip as the sun beamed, followed by post siting and tree planting.
Talk was of the exhibition and of the mixed emotions ending a project. In completing the circle, I wondered what was achieved. It felt like closing the net on a set of experiences, caught and forever held in time and place, in that circular domain which became a place of heightened sensibility – Swim Circle. From now we would forever locate ourselves in relationship to this aesthetic watery domain when in its vicinity.
We watched as a fish jumped to catch a fly and was in turn soon caught by a lone fly fisher who suddenly appeared – are we all in the same game?
Richard
