One of the most universal human needs is the need to belong, to fit in, to be part of the pack. For millennia, whether we have realised it or not, belonging has been pivotal for our survival as a species. But what does it mean to belong in Australia in the 21st century?

In the premiere production of swim, which was first read at the 2019 Yellamundie National First People’s Playwriting Festival, Mununjali poet Ellen van Neerven uses a swimming pool setting to explore the complexities of belonging, identity and assimilation.

Sandy Greenwood and Dani Sib in swim. Photo © Brett Boardman

With its historic significance as a political space where First Nations peoples were not welcome for decades, Director Andrea James has transformed the small warehouse space at Carriageworks (Griffin’s home away from home during the renovation of its Kings Cross premises) into a swimming pool. A tiled platform drops down into a slanting pool floor which captivating video projections by Sam James transform into the chaotic, unpredictable depths of the ocean, the cool splash of the river and the ordered lanes of a public pool. It is at...