My piece creatively explores the physical sensations and emotional impact of my treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, which coincided with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. I created it to 'bear witness' to my own experience; by describing one of the darkest, most difficult moments, and the fragile threads of hope that seemed to emerge from this lowest ebb.

Audio description of video:

Swimming with Sharks is an audio-led piece, with abstract imagery that illustrates the verbal storytelling. The visuals are described below in order of appearance, including some small spoilers!

First, plain black, with the speech captioned.

Cold is represented by a sheet of ice which gradually cracks like a shattering window.

Heat is represented by swirling red and yellow patterns, like boiling lava.

When the hospital tower is mentioned, fleeting images of photographs taken from the tower and the ground below are shown, followed by grainy close-ups of people.

The final section of the story is accompanied by a wash of hazy gold, with stars floating upwards and lighting glinting off fragments of airborne dust.

www.jennielbourne.wordpress.com