Leader | Laura Makuch

Laura Makuch

Despite being knee-deep in water metaphors, the writing process was all but smooth sailing. As I could feel myself drowning in the omnipresence of water, I kept discarding every idea that bubbled up. With pop culture as well as the fine arts so heavily saturated with water and its oceans of meanings, what new ideas could I possibly contribute? Every pseudointellectual artistic take on the symbolism of water seemed shallow, especially due to the ongoing global water crisis as well as our own domestic ecological disaster of the entire Odra River being poisoned. Should I write about water scarcity? Sanitation? Art? Pollution? I settled on playing a game.

The rules are: I say a word, the players say the first thing that comes to their mind. To introduce at least a tiny bit of sterility into my little association “experiment”, I made sure that all my friends were told the exact words in the same order. I didn’t include all the associations, as that would have opened too many doors for discussions and digressions, rendering this piece simply unreadable. I also can’t say that the words were chosen at random, because their source was, after all, my brain, and god only knows what had been brewing in my subconscious at the time of concocting this game. There remain many variables I couldn’t influence, however, I hope to have provided a small glimpse into the vast tangled web of associations that forms in our brains when we hear the word “water”. So if you want to play before you find out what my respondents replied, here’s my quick word association game for you to warm up:

— should be easy enough!

Standing in the confocal microscope room after having spent the morning capturing respiratory syncytial viruses in bronchial epithelial cells — this is what Felipe thinks of when he hears the word “water”. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a widely popular animated television series set in a fictional world where some people can manipulate one of the four elements – water, earth, fire, air – or, in the case of the avatar, all four. Every element, of course, has its advantages. While fire benders can create fire, air and some form of earth or metal are present everywhere. On the other hand, water is a bit harder to come by; but then again, human beings consist mainly of water, so that opens up the discussion of being able to control human bodies. If he had to choose, Felipe would want to earthbend, a solid choice. He often wonders what it would be like to have some kind of supernatural power, nothing uncommon for a dreamy, imaginative Pisces. Unfortunately, even being a water sign doesn’t protect you from seasickness. Still, water holds a special place in Felipe’s heart. From marine life (such as, to quote him, “super cool turtles”) to the calming quality of bodies of water, the sentiment can be distilled into one simple thought – water is life.

Hydration is essential, isn’t it? So rich in meanings, symbols, and purposes, water has always fascinated Jay. Fire, its opposite element, doesn’t possess that same charm. Fire signifies heat and warmth but also destruction. It can be all-consuming, yet very fleeting, put out in an instant. Fire can kill and so can water. What Jay finds so intriguing about water is how it can kill in all its physical forms. Whether frozen, cold, boiling or even lukewarm (drowning) water can be lethal. A small gasp escapes me as I try to wrap my head around what she just said. We circle back; despite this slightly morbid turn, we did start out with hydration. Selfcare comes to mind. It might sound quite cliché, but drinking water, moisturizing your skin, and taking care of yourself on the most essential of levels can work wonders for your well-being.

Ah! Finally, a social justice warrior? Unfortunately, my conversation with Tomek was cut short before I had a chance to find out. The day before we had watched “Shark Tales” and laughed at the silly fish cracking a joke about selling bottled water in the depths of the ocean. Before I could think about this too much, our minds soon drifted to more pressing questions like, how did they make that fish look exactly like Will Smith? Thinking about it now, bottled water does seem like an enormous scam. According to an article by Anaele Pelisson for The Independent from 2020, nearly half the water in water bottles is actually tap water (Nestle and Pepsi even had to alter their labels to clarify this). The mere production of water is wasteful, as claimed by the author of the article: “A recent study from the International Bottled Water Association found that North American companies use 1.39 liters of water to make one liter of the bottled stuff”. Having consumed the water, we then contribute to the ever-growing Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This one example is enough to illustrate the absolute absurdity of the concept of bottled water. Of course, I don’t mean to shame anyone for buying a bottle of water. The problem is, as always, systemic. What are we supposed to do when tap water is polluted and undrinkable? Or when there is no tap to begin with? The way I see it, blaming the individual consumer is not the way to go. Blaming capitalism and critically analyzing the systems we’ve built, however, is the right choice.

In an interesting turn of events, when asked to elaborate on this association, Konrad said it was what he’d said before that made him think of bacteria. After I said bus, he said puddle. That puddle made him think of contamination in water, hence, bacteria. He himself h a s luckily been spared from catching a waterborne disease, although he did come close once at the “Rainbow” festival. When a bunch of hippies decide to camp near a river, it can sometimes end in a mass outbreak of dysentery (as not to slander the good name of hippies: This would probably have happened to anyone on a campground with no sanitary facilities). Despite this close encounter with a water disease, one of Konrad’s main associations remains hygiene. Pragmatic and practical as always, the first connections in his brain are the actual uses of water, not its symbolism. Water is a part of his daily routine, he tells me, you use it to wash yourself, you drink it while exercising, you can swim in it, and so forth.

Water is a topic rich in associations, symbolism, and meaning and my little game was only a prelude to this Second Thoughts edition. If you want to find out more about The Shape of Water, read Jakub Frączek’s review. Maybe gender fluidity or the navy and foreign trade are more your jam? Weronika Kubik and Marek Kobryń come to your rescue. Or rather you’re a fan of Stranger Things (well, except the last season)? Whatever the case, there’s something in it for everyone!