Instructions Not Included

Instructions Not Included was a collaborative arts project exploring how women and girls experience

ageing through the transformation of pre-loved swimming costumes.(September 2023 – March 2025)

The project began after watching a local aqua aerobics class. I found myself wondering about the women in the pool—their lives, experiences, and how they felt about growing older.

Age is rarely celebrated in our contemporary society, which values youth and beauty over accumulated wisdom and experience.

Swimming costumes became both the material and the metaphor. Like a second skin, they reveal and conceal the body. Using donated costumes, rather than participants' own, encouraged contributors to

respond to their thoughts and feelings about ageing rather than personal memories associated with a particular garment.

The first exhibition, held in Bristol in May 2024, brought together 77 transformed swimming costumes and two knitted swimming hats created by 64 women and girls from across the UK.

Contributors ranged in age from 14 to over 80, with some making the work together in community groups, forming new friendships through the project.

Alongside each costume were the contributors' reflections. Together, the works revealed a rich and varied picture of ageing.

While concerns about body image crossed generations, younger contributors reflected on identity, consent, and expectations, while older women described self-acceptance, resilience, friendship, loss, and the freedom that can accompany later life.

Above all, the project celebrated the diversity of women's experiences, recognising both the challenges of ageing and the gratitude, humour, connection, and resilience that emerged throughout the conversations.

Reflections from Visitors

'What an amazing and inspiring celebration of ageing. I have laughed and cried(nearly).

Thank you for displaying the normally invisible joys and struggles.

( Visitor aged 47)

Love that this encompasses so many life stages and stories. We have discussed puberty, menopause, body hair, body shame age as a number or feeling..........amazing.

Wonderful exhibition!

This is the BEST show I have seen in as long as I can remember- It must tour! Exciting, fun,challenging and beautiful.

An adventure in a room.

Following its first exhibition in Bristol, Instructions Not Included toured to Exeter, Devizes and Leeds before returning to Bristol for International Women's Day in 2025.