Mermaid Tales

Underwater Videography - Annabeth Robinson using Go-Pro Hero 3

“ In the winter we used to go to Bramley Baths dancing but me father used to come and pick me up at 11 o clock. He’d stand outside the door and wait for me. I remember having an angora wool jumper … in a very very pale blue… I thought it was the bees’ knees and me boyfriend and I went dancing at Bramley Baths and he had a brown suit on. The first dance after we stopped dancing he was covered in mohair – ah dear, he was furious (laughs).”

A dance, a walk, an exhibition and a finale performance in the swimming pool...Mermaid Tales weaves through the social history of Bramley Baths to reveal its hidden depths through the real and remarkable human stories that have come about here over the last 110 years. Steeped in history, full of vintage glamour and powered by generations of families who have swum, steamed and run through the building, Mermaid Tales invites you to plunge in without getting wet, with original art, multi-media and performances based on borrowed memories from local people that will stay with you long after you've left. 

Mermaid Tales was an Immersive Theater and Art project performed at Bramley Baths, on the 28th Nov 2015 - to a sold out audience.
The project was a collaboration of Yorkshire Life Aquatic, Institute of Crazy Dancing, Bramley Baths, and myself & BA(Hons) Visual Communication Students from Leeds College of Art.

The themes and performances within the show were inspired and some directly linked to the research conducted through Oral History of the Bramley Baths community. These interview are available in full on SoundCloud.

The project was funded by the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund.