*If you can't find out who Natalie is and why she does stuff like this, you probably shouldn't bother the eels.
6PM SUNDAY MAY 5TH
6PM Screening and discussion of James Prosek's new documentary “The Mystery of Eels”; State-of-the-Eel report by Chris Bowser, EELATION: a seasonal cocktail of live glass eels, salty water and ideas for redesigning our shared shorelines; and a Glass Eel release.
LOCATION: to safeguard the eels the site will be revealed on Saturday May 4th (and directly to those who rsvp). This venue is a convenient waterfront site in lower Manhattan accessible via subway. Worth their weight in gold (almost), these juvenile EELs have been diverted from commercial cultivation and certain death (hitching a ride with me from Maine). After observing, naming, and exchanging nutrients, we will release these juveniles as wild pets to facilitate their contribution to the health of our shared aquatic ecosystems, and to initiate our reciprocal efforts.
RAISING GLASSES: EELATION (after the Storm): a seasonal cocktail of live glass eels, salty water and ideas for redesigning our shared shorelines. This drink gives u the capacity to choose a gender—if it were up to u—and the opportunity to invest in redesigning our aquatic ecosystems with the benefit of Eel's eye view.
RSVP [email protected]
GLASS EEL MIGRATION
Glass eels are right now imperceptibly migrating along the East coast and are driving their tiny transparent selves up rivers and into swollen estuaries, containing tremendous determination and global navigation systems in bodies so clear u can see their fluttering hearts.
Simultaneously James Prosek's rousing documentary “The Mystery of Eels” has just launched and provides an introduction to the intriguing lifestyles, ecology and cultural value of these organisms. Prosek also captures the incredible human characters who lives depend on eels, all with the urgent lyricism of Rachel Carson (who described a mass migration of silver eels: “passing from human sight and almost from knowledge”.)
After the screening, James and co-conspirators will discuss the challenges involved in representing these unseen organisms as sentinels of global interconnected ecologies. Joined also by Chris Bowser, education coordinator, DEC, who will discuss recent citizen science work on recent eels census, and the role of public participation in DEC conservation. And I will discuss pending shoreline modifications on the East River Waterfront and Bronx River designed to improve the situation of our local eels, and measurably increase biodiversity and environmental health. Please consider yourself invited to taste, explore and help produce a biodiverse future in cahoots with the Eels. x Natalie Jeremijenko for the Cross(x)Species Adventure Club and the Bronx OOZ
This event is presented by the Bx OOZ—zoo backwards and without cages. OOZ creates and augments habitat for urban nonhumans, with a focus on providing novel opportunities for humans and nonhumans to productively interact
A Creative Capital grant for OOZ is underwriting the costs of purchasing these Eels and producing the EELATION seasonal cocktail. This grant requires return-on-investment and forms part of the design challenge—to produce value for these organism-in-situ that will rival their worth in current health-degrading food systems.
Training in the transport, care and release of eels graciously provided by Patricia Bryant, with gracious support and advice from Chris Bowser.
There is no know risk to the organisms or ecosystem in releasing these eels. Rather, it saves these wild-caught migrating organisms from incarceration in intensive aquaculture, premature death without the opportunity to reproduce and sans any productive environmental interactions. Although they’ll have hitchhiked a small fraction of their massive migration, these escapee glass eels are native and will be released into their native habitat.
Some recent old news on our long relationship with eels, our earliest ancestor: http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/humans-oldest-ancestor-found-burgess-shale; http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/03/05/humanitys_earliest_ancestor_looked_like_tiny_eel_study_finds.html The full episode of “The Mystery of Eels” is live for anyone in U.S. & Territories (due to rights) to watch at this link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/category/video/watch-full-episodes/
