Canal Diary is an illustration project based on my living experience along the waterside in London, 2021. At the time, I was living in the north west of London, the Grand Union Canal came into view directly from my room window. The canal was a wonderland for teen swans, ducks, Canada Geese, always following after their dads and moms with unstable steps. Meanwhile, there were several colourful boats floating on the water, and inside, the owners were humming cheerfully.
The canal was very near the Portobello market, Westbourne Park, and passed through the Trellick Tower then linked to a tranquil canal area, the Little Venice, as well as the River Thames. Then it meandered across London and finally to the end of Birmingham. Its complicated branches and links seemed like a mysterious underwater maze that triggered my passion to do the ‘embodied research’. I walked along its waterside day by day in a whole year- short for two hours, long could be over five hours each day. It was a fantastic experience, and I was so addicted to it, so I tried to transform and document it through illustrations.
