Women’s Lifesaving League, 2014

Women’s Life Saving League is a research-based body of work that merges my autobiographical approach with a deep engagement in historical and conceptual narratives that emerge within societies around the world. This series focuses on a group of women living in New York City in 1909 who formed their own Life Saving League after being told that women could not swim and would never be allowed to participate in the National Life Saving League. Defying social conventions of the time, these women proved their physical strength and endurance by completing a grueling 26.5-mile swim up the Hudson River. Their achievement not only challenged institutional barriers but also transformed opportunities for female swimmers. The Women’s Life Saving League went on to support young women learning to swim, advancing the belief that a strong body fosters a healthy and empowered mind.