In the thirties London’s outdoor pools were at the peak of their popularity. As Londoners began to purchase their own pools, attendance at these public watering holes fell steadily, and as a result, many did not endure the economic implications. These facilities fell into decay, while others were entirely demolished. Now, only a handful of derelict pools remain as a symbol of a bygone era. Gigi Cifali’s Absence of Water photographic series documents the haunting atmosphere of empty swimming pools in London. It is hard to believe that these relics actually exist in one of Europe’s most active cities. Without any background information, one might assume that they are in some demilitarized region, or perhaps from an end of the world zombie flick.
Regarding the series, Cifali states: “I feel the fluidity of the water melting with the excited screams of the children the fulfilled faces of the men afloat. The sensual stroke of the swimmer, and the light speeches of warm summer. I myself, feel the need to take a swim! Now I turn around and I try to reveal this ancestral aquifer’s feeling. Thoughts of a citizen who is looking for his local swimming pool. The sport, the meeting place, the community. Behind this is the simple but magical contact with water. This contact that rips away from the mayhem of the city evoking a moment of pause, a sultry summer afternoon, another time, another place. Plunging into the amniotic fluids of secure liberty. Here, every man need to take a dip.”
