Agnieszka Gratza: Volcanic Swimming performance around Strongili

The volcanic swim was a live art event that took place on 19 July. Participants were invited to join Agnieszka Gratza for a swim around Strongili – the Round One, also known as ‘little Nisyros’ – a volcanic islet in the midst of the Kos caldera whose shape on a map mirrors that of Nisyros. Its diameter is roughly 1,7 km.

The idea was to ‘take the volcano out for a swim’ by focusing on the image of the rounded Stefano crater in the central moon-like valley on Nisyros while swimming around Strongili. It took roughly an hour to complete the circuit, which began and ended in a round blue clearing in the water.

Frederik Exner Carsens’ talisman – an eye made of pumice stones strung together as if they were rosary beads – came with us for the boat journey. On reaching our destination, we floated it and made a circle around it with our bodies. The swim itself was a way of ‘girdling’ the islet by swimming and sailing around it in the fishing boat.

Agnieszka Gratza: Seascapes