Water Spirits
The theme for Issue 38 of Garland is Water Spirits. This will be the first our of Storylines series.
This issue with feature works that tell stories of beings that guard our waterways, influence rain or embody aquatic life. Beings can include dragons, naga, mermaids or neriads.
This issue will be published on 1 March 2025. You can find guidelines for submitting a story here. The deadline for stories is 1 February 2025. Please let us know in advance of your idea here.
Here are some related stories from previous issues of Garland:
FLOAT ✿ Lakeside with an arts residency on water, a feral MBA and a float-keeper - The FLOAT crew share their journey of creating an arts residency and Observatorium on Lake Tyers, while Isaac Carne shares his day as a float-keeper.
Breath of the Fire Dragon 稻草香火龍 - Angela Sim shares the story of Singapore's fiery ceremony that farewells the dragon after its sojourn in our world.
Dragon Scale Binding: The revival of an ancient Chinese book format - Yunmeng Jia is impressed with the vision and dedication of Zhang Xiaodong, the sole inheritor of a unique bookbinding craft and a Chinese intangible cultural heritage.
Pushkar women balance life and work on ornate indonis - Shefali Martins writes about the indoni, a richly decorated base still used today by Rajasthanis for balancing pots on their heads.
Australia or Bandaiyan? - Bardi Elder, Aunty Munya Andrews, writes about her people's name for "Australia", which describes a bisexual being.
The Bung Yarnda Observatorium - For her FLOAT residency, Josephine Jakobi makes work about and with the estuary.
Aricò’s Calabrian dragon - Under blue Calabrian skies, Antonio Aricò exposes his new collection of stories that animate the cultures of Byzantine Italy.
Gabbee Stolp ✿ Memories in flux - Sarah Stewart finds the work of Tasmanian jeweller Gabbee Stolp reflects the fleeting beauty that flows down the Derwent River.
Jember Batik: The dragon rises - Geraldus Sugeng describes the unique batik designs that come from the town of Jember and are now seen around the world.
Confluence: Visualising Mumbai’s waters - Ipshita Karmakar and Sara Ahmed introduce a museum that honours the lifeblood of India's most maximum city
Make the Qanats flow: Women revive a patriarchal tradition - Nina Aminzadeh Goharrizi heralds an inspiring project from the Takab district of Kerman province, Iran, in which local women take tradition into their own hands.
Naga Kacip: A snake god at work - Linda S. McIntosh writes about the story told by the quintessential Southeast Asian implement, the kacip betel nut cutter.
Taipei Biennial 2020 ✿ Aruwai Kaumakan - Paiwanese artist Aruwai Kaumakan is reviving the snake motif in her textiles for the upcoming Taipei Biennial. 
Jumaadi ✿ You’re invited to a snakes’ wedding - The Sydney-based Indonesian artist Jumaadi uses the snake as a symbol of a dualistic universe. His intricate painting on buffalo hide imagines a cloud-like form created from two snakes entwining.
Living with dragons - While the mythical creature of the dragon is synonymous with China, its presence can be found across the Indo-Pacific. In this online exhibition, we feature artists both inside and outside China who are inspired by the dragon.
He stood up! ✿ Winds of change at the Ancient Now symposium - The Ancient Now symposium heralded not only new creative pathways to China, but also a changing world view inspired by the dragons among us.
Dragon reborn: The making of Bendigo’s Dai Gum Loong - Leigh McKinnon writes about the revival of skills from Hong Kong involved in the new Bendigo dragon
A rainbow serpent theory of time - For Tyson Yunkaporta, the rainbow serpent offers an alternative to the circular world of second peoples.
Weaving the feathered serpent - Yunuen Perez recounts her journey across the Pacific and the feathered serpent she takes with her.