Photographer and boat-dweller Tracey Welch showcases Echoes of the Water series

This series, in simple terms a narrative of life on the canal, represents a collaboration between myself and Brett Evans Biedscheid. I’d always admired Brett’s work in photomontage and he felt the same about my photography. In our own disciplines, we’re both in the business of storytelling, and the prospect of working together, particularly on something that holds a real fascination for both of us, was exciting. There was a desire to explore and share the unique quality of Britain’s waterways, which lies somewhere between reality and imagination. Canals are steeped in history and folklore, and something transformative happens when you step into that world.

As Brett describes it: “The waterways operate within their own definitions of time. Things move slower. Details that would surely be missed elsewhere are abundant and vibrant. The human beings that occupy this magical landscape have more time to develop, and stories of these characters’ exploits continually reverberate between the other residents of this environment. The wildlife that shares this enchanted space continues to operate at a symbiotic, confident – yet comfortable – distance.”

I started building an initial series of images during the pandemic days of 2020. My boat felt like a real haven, quietly tucked away from the madness, watching the natural world shift from one day to the next.

Between lockdowns, I moved my boat from Leeds to Oxfordshire; a three-week journey, passing through the major hub of Braunston. Each year, boats congregate there for the Braunston Historic Boat Rally, which is full of color and character. You get a sense of the rich variety of people in this transient community. I started to document the boat rally and other folk on the canal, building up a library of faces, places and small details. Some of the images have been planned, some are opportunistic. Since the partnership with Brett started, that has added another dimension in terms of what I’m looking to capture.

Most of the images were shot on a Nikon Z 6 with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; portable for long canal walks but with plenty of flexibility, although sometimes you have to be patient and wait for the subject to move closer to your shooting position and fill the frame.

The collaborative relationship has lifted my ideas around building a narrative to a whole different level. Often Brett will see something in an image that hadn’t occurred to me. I think developing a shared approach has really enhanced our practice. Of course, there are challenges. For a project like this the boat knowledge is still important, and within the creativity we need to retain a level of factual accuracy. But I’m so happy with what we’ve achieved, and I really hope we can keep going with this work and on other projects.

I’ll give Brett the final word: “It is easy to imagine within this watery landscape that Father Time has tapped the brakes on, that you can hear, see and feel the myths and folklore that future generations will share being birthed and blossoming. Each photomontage illustrates a mythical tale – not from a distant past, but of the distant future.”

Echoes of the Water exhibition

Echoes of the Water is at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury, UK, and runs from September 3 to October 26, 2024.