Absence as an affordance: thinking with(out) water on the inland waterways

This article extends our understanding of inland waterways by theorising the temporary absences water in canals and rivers as possibilities for action, that is, affordances. The interplay absence presence provides a range potentialities various activities practices. Affordance theory can help us to further theorise material position them important elements performing, practicing interpreting place. We show how create spatial, historical communicative affordances, affording movement boats, revealing recreating past raising environmental awareness. paper is based on semi-ethnographic research United Kingdom Italy, featuring document analysis, participant observation semi-structured interviews with waterway users.