Anguilla anguilla

Environmental sociologist Darko Lagunas wondered what human beings can learn from eels. Commissioned by the Embassy of the North Sea, he sought out people with a special, embodied relationship with the eel. As part of his ethnographic research, he created a series of short, filmed portraits in which ‘eel interpreters’ attempt to answer this question. The videos are framed by a mural painted by artist Dewy Elsinga / BUTTERFINGAZ, inspired by the four metamorphoses of the eel.

With: Theo Rekelhof, eel fisherman; Erwin Winter, fish migration researcher and Noam Youngrak Son, communication designer

In collaboration with: Femke Hermans, color grading; Giulia de Jong, production; Blabla Sounds, audio-editing

Thanks to: Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, Ravon, Brave New Works & Vislift

AMSTERDAM IS ALSO HOME TO EELS

The Embassy of the North Sea listens to the voices of the North Sea. In Amsterdam we listen to the eel. While you read this, the adult eel starts its journey, 6.000 km back to the Sargasso Sea. How do we take care of a city that is also home to eels?

In the Oosterdok we are working on an eel park, a shared space for humans and the underwater world. From 1 – 31 October 2022, the OBA Oosterdok will host a programme about the dialogue with the underworld with videos, workshops, art and film.