An absurd swimming carnival, a desperate endurance act and a continuous relay in which the distance between Manus Island and Australia will be collectively swum. Through the murky waters of past and present immigration policy, participants will move both towards and away from the idea of home.

Landing invites you to participate or spectate as swimmers physically experience distance and take part in a policy of exile – which underpinned Australia’s colonisation and is repeated today at offshore detention sites. Swimmers wearing island-shaped hats will plunge into the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre main pool, attempting to swim a distance equivalent to the ocean stretch between Manus and Australia’s mainland.

Sign on and suit up or barrack in the grandstands, as those new to swimming guide you and cheer on the swimmers in a collective contemplation of home and the Gold Coast’s relationship with water.

Swimmers, spectators and their supporters are invited to join the artist and facilitators for a celebratory BBQ from 6:00 pm on Saturday.

Image credit: Bryony Jackson