Resolve

In Resolve I have examined the inner strength it takes to make a difficult decision; the perseverance needed to see it through and the moment of clarity of mind when the way forward, although not easy, is not as bad as it what was before. I have recognised in these swimmers their resolve be at Serpentine for dawn and to swim without wetsuits in the intense cold. There are no life guards at the Serpentine, swimmers enter the at their own risk. The raw impact on immersion shortens the breath and shocks the body. The swimmers have to override their natural desires to get out. In haste their limbs strike the surface until they find their rhythm and relax into the process. The danger of infection, cramp and hypothermia the swimmers face in the water is, in their opinion, far outweighed by the sense of freedom and release of tension they gain from the practice. It is this moment when the swimmers emerge from the water, when they are shivering and they must get warm quickly lest they catch pneumonia: this is the moment that I have captured. This is the time when the the swim is a beating memory in mind and in body. The experience is different from person to person, from swim to swim and this is reflected on the swimmers’ faces. The swimmers, now on dry land, find the future all the more achievable. It is not a decisive moment, that was before the swim. This moment is a length of time with a foreseeable and achievable end.