eels was captured and recorded late at night from the live video feed of Surface (2010-2013).
"The sudden presence on the live video feed of these bottom dweller fish in False Creek*, (a waterway known for its toxic silt) was a surprise to me, especially as it was late in the evening, I was drowsy, and they suddenly wriggled across the screen in my studio, jolting me. Once I got over the shock, I quickly pressed record and was struck their fluidity of movement, sometimes moving in relation to each other: reminiscent of synchronized swimmers.
eels was initially curated by Cate Rimmer and installed as part of as part of the series entitled
The Voyage, or Three Years at Sea Part III (Libby Leshgold Gallery, formally known as Charles H. Scott Gallery) and later at Western Gallery, Bellingham, Washington. Curated by Lee Plested


eels (excerpt, full work running time of 7:07, 2012)




*False Creek, a tidal body of water, once had an abundance of with aquatic life, until it was heavily industrialized after
colonisation and until very recently was heavily polluted. Aquatic birds and sealife are starting to make a comeback though
still in relatively low numbers. This is reflected in the live stream of Surface that often functions as an abstract mix of colours
and impressions, sometimes tiny organisms, or crustaceans or fish swim by.
Once teaming with aquatic life, this body of water is showing recovery with an influx of species, but at a time when our
oceans are vulnerable to changes in temperature and oxygen levels. The future of the underwater environment and what is
manifest on the screen is wholly dependent on us: our collective historic and present activities.

A Montreal company called Moment Factory, who designed the software and controlled the interactive systems for Nine Inch Nails
live shows among others, produced the software system for Bowie's project.

Surface was commissioned by the City of Vancouver, under the project section Marking and Mapping, through its Olympic
and Paralympic Public Art Program for 2010, where artists were invited to propose projects based on sites of their own choosing.


all rights reserved/copyright fiona bowie 2022 All images, sound and text are the exclusive copyright of the artist and may not be used or duplicated without the expressed permission of the artist.
This work was created on the unceded territories of K'emk'emeláy (colonially known as Vancouver BC.),with gratitude
and acknowledgement of our host's nationhood; of their unceded, ancestral and current territories:
the Musqueam, Squamish, and Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.