Otolith: in the ear of the fish

In articulating the situations of water, we shape the relations between our watery selves and our watery others.

Otolith: in the ear of the fish is a series of speculative and allusive drawings in ink and soot that map the unseen adaptions and changes over time of the Climbing Galaxias (Galaxias brevipinnis), a nativesh inhabiting the waterways of the Manly Dam and its surrounding reserve. Ecologists been able to trace the migratory patterns of this sh and learn aboutits growth, age and life history through decodingtheir otoliths - the calci ed kidney-shaped ringed structures inside the sh’s head that lay down a pairof translucent and opaque bands every day.
An ancient sh, the Climbing Galaxias existed before the splitting up of Gondwana between 60 and 120million years ago. It is believed to be the speciesfrom which other native galaxias evolved and is the only remaining galaxias inhabiting the Sydney area.In past times, it migrated between the sea and freshwater, the suction of its strong pectoral ns allowingit to climb heights of 10 metres or more.
When Curl Curl Creek was dammed in 1892 tocreate Manly Dam, the Galaxias became landlocked.Since then it has adapted to spawning in the dam.The juvenile sh retreat upstream to Curl Curl Creekto escape predators such as perch and carp.
In the drawings that comprise Otolith the body partsof the Climbing Galaxias are layered and fused with elements of scienti c imagery, engineering plans for the Dam and snatches of text. This new narrativeincorporates marks made with materials from thedam itself - water, wood, sedges and casuarinas.
The research for this project evolved through swimming in the dam, walks and conversations
with friends on tracks surrounding the dam, and communication with engineers at the Water Research Laboratory, dedicated local activists, archivists, rangers, scientists and ecologists from Australia and New Zealand.
Reference: Thinking Water by Cecilia Chen,Janine Macleod, and Astrida Neimanis. McGill-Queen’s University Press; Montreal, 1 edition (October 10, 2013)

Otolith: in the ear of the fish - detail

Opening night photo by Karen Watson