Nearly as eternal as any earthly life
“To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.”
- Rachel Carson, ‘Under The Sea Wind’, 1941
Work commissioned for the exhibition ‘Eels, Nearly Eternal As Any Earthly Life’ - 2 May to 2 June 2024, Simon Aspenhall Wildlife Education Centre, Norfolk Wildlife Trust Cley Marshes, Norfolk, UK.
The exhibition, curated by Ruthie Collins for World Eel Day 2024, took its title from the above quote by marine scientist and writer Rachel Carson. Ruthie says: “Reminding us of its once abundant presence, this contextualises the role of the eel in a worldwide environmental movement. The eel in this way, becomes a beloved metaphor for ‘earthly life’ – through celebrating eels, their wonder, we celebrate life itself and its precious fragility.”
Sargasso Dreaming
Multiple exposure digital photographs. 2024.
The rippling waters of North Norfolk creeks mingle with the turquoise of the Sargasso Sea where the European eel starts and ends its life. The reeds of Blakeney marshes brush against Sargassum, a seaweed that grows prolifically in the Sargasso Sea.
This abstract and ethereal series shares glimpses of the myriad watery worlds the European eel calls home on its 4000 mile journey from the Sargasso Sea to Norfolk, and then back again. Through layering and interweaving these far-flung and seemingly disparate places, a sense of connection is found, and the surreal merging of worlds evokes a sense of a dream or a memory just out of reach, echoing the mystery and wonder surrounding these fascinating creatures and their lives.
Through the making of these images I found myself wondering about the experience of the eel. What do they know of their journey, what sense do they have of where they’ve come from, where they’re heading, where they’re going back to? Do eels dream of the Sargasso Sea?
“Truly, we live with mysteries too marvellous to be understood.”
- Mary Oliver, ‘Mysteries, Yes’.
What was, what is, what may be
Multiple exposure digital photographs. 2024.
This triptych weaves together elements of the places the European eel calls home - the creeks and reed beds of Blakeney marshes, and the turquoise-blue of the Sargasso Sea. In these images an eel itself also appears - although as a series of blocky grey/brown squares, you may not recognise it.
Created by zooming in and cropping a photograph of an eel to the point of extreme pixellation, these images have been created to reflect the eel’s endangered status - the European eel is sadly now listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Presenting the eel in this way raises the question - will there eventually come a time when all we know of eels is pictures?
One day, will eels only exist as pixels on a screen?