During our exploration of the River Lee waterways, a disturbing realisation dawned upon me—a poisonous quality lingers in the water. This river, moulded to fit the industrialised landscape of East London, has been neglected for centuries in terms of its health and biodiversity.

My artwork, titled "Ladders, the Rise of the Vertical River", visually represents our capacity and consideration for escaping a place we have rendered toxic. The river poses risks with its steep concrete banks and a high concentration of petroleum-derived chemicals, sewage, and construction waste. Despite these challenges, life persists in altered states; fish navigate the vertical expanse with their own ladders, and so-called "Asian clams," introduced by ship hulls, are proliferating, with the shells of their expanding population contributing to the formation of a distinctive sedimentary layer. Amidst these complexities and scenes that can, at times, seem pretty unsettlingly desperate, my project playfully proposes an alternative exploration of the river through a vertical journey with ladders. This device not only enables physical access to it but also provides perspectives beyond the water's surface.