For as long as I can remember, I have loved the water. Every chance I got, I was there. As a child, I spent most of my time under the water. I grew up in the era of The Little Mermaid and Free Willy. One of my favourite games to play was orca and mermaid. My friend's room was filled with orca things, mine with mermaids.

As I grew up, I never lost my love for the water. I continued to swim as much as possible. At some point, I discovered that there were other adults who shared my love for mermaids. They kept it alive by swimming and performing as mermaids. I immediately loved the idea. The only obstacle was getting that tail. Fabric tails for adults didn't exist yet. Then there was also the pressure from Belgian society, where being an adult is synonymous with being boring.

After overcoming those obstacles, I bought a monofin in early 2014 and made my own tail out of sequinned fabric. A little later, I made my own silicone tail. From there, my passion only grew.

Now I fill my days with creating magic. I do this by letting others enjoy mermaids or by letting them experience it for themselves. Magic is never far away for me.

Lieke Knoops is a performance artist who wants to make the everyday world more beautiful, colourful and playful through mermaid magic.