Mermaids have a long history and are guaranteed to set imaginations flowing, even if their most famous recent portrayals have been via Disney and Starbucks. So we were excited, back in May, to hear about the Poems Underwater project.
A collaboration set up by Kirsten Tambling and Laura Seymour, the project, Kirsten told us, aimed to: "start some conversations about the mermaid figure and some of the things they might represent...one of the things we've noticed is that their symbolic significance is pretty much limitless."
We are pleased to say they have now certainly achieved that with Lines Underwater. Grown out of the initial collection of poetry is an anthology featuring contributions from over 40 people, which you can buy on their website.
A collaboration set up by Kirsten Tambling and Laura Seymour, the project, Kirsten told us, aimed to: "start some conversations about the mermaid figure and some of the things they might represent...one of the things we've noticed is that their symbolic significance is pretty much limitless."
We are pleased to say they have now certainly achieved that with Lines Underwater. Grown out of the initial collection of poetry is an anthology featuring contributions from over 40 people, which you can buy on their website.
It is a beautiful, mesmeric piece of work. I hesitate to say 'book' because Kirsten and Laura have included so much extra content; along with the stunning artwork, photography and pictures of sculpture, there are QR codes on the pages take you to videos and songs. And for the less technologically endowed, you can access this extra content on YouTube as well.
The anthology is split into thematic chapters: The stories of washed up things; Nets, nerves and wires; Bricked in and crossing borders; Skin, scales and skirts.
The anthology is split into thematic chapters: The stories of washed up things; Nets, nerves and wires; Bricked in and crossing borders; Skin, scales and skirts.
| Within this structure tails/tales unfurl; there is sorrow, joy, betrayal and deceit and always the deep pull of the ocean. It's a structure that allows the editors to unpick different aspects of the mermaid myth. | The stories and poems capture every aspect of the mermaid and our attached myths. |
To look at how they can stand in for stateless, itinerary figures; embody fears and hopes around sexuality and promiscuity; reflect our insecurities and fascination.
The stories and poems capture every aspect of the mermaid and our attached myths. I don't have space to tell you about every single entry (anyway I would hate to ruin the joy of discovering them for yourself) - and hesitate because there are no low points here. So here are a few that caught my eye for one reason or another: The songs Velvet Skies by Sara Eliot and Mermaid Tattoo by Andrew Souter both evoke the sound of the sea but in contrasting ways.
Katie Hale's poem Siren Song and Rebecca Gethin's The Mermaid Chair capture the peculiarly beautiful melancholy of the long-tailed singer on the rocks.
The memorable #MermaidsRock by Piotr Cieplak features mermaids most wouldn't recognise - with human legs/genitals and fish heads and bodies. Elsewhere Jo Stanley's Adaptation tells a story about plastic surgery and changing yourself to suit another.
Here is a space that explores the grotesque, amusing and heartbreaking aspects of mermaids, as well as the fairytale portrayals we're all so familiar with.
Take a deep breath and jump in.
Squeamish Louise
The stories and poems capture every aspect of the mermaid and our attached myths. I don't have space to tell you about every single entry (anyway I would hate to ruin the joy of discovering them for yourself) - and hesitate because there are no low points here. So here are a few that caught my eye for one reason or another: The songs Velvet Skies by Sara Eliot and Mermaid Tattoo by Andrew Souter both evoke the sound of the sea but in contrasting ways.
Katie Hale's poem Siren Song and Rebecca Gethin's The Mermaid Chair capture the peculiarly beautiful melancholy of the long-tailed singer on the rocks.
The memorable #MermaidsRock by Piotr Cieplak features mermaids most wouldn't recognise - with human legs/genitals and fish heads and bodies. Elsewhere Jo Stanley's Adaptation tells a story about plastic surgery and changing yourself to suit another.
Here is a space that explores the grotesque, amusing and heartbreaking aspects of mermaids, as well as the fairytale portrayals we're all so familiar with.
Take a deep breath and jump in.
Squeamish Louise
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