A Fish Out of Water

“A Fish Out of Water” is an ongoing project toying with notions of belonging, power, and place. Dredging deep sea creatures out of the dark and into places of sanctuary, Eleanor explores the inherent perversion of power dynamics in bringing something out of its “proper place”.

In its natural element, the fish is well adapted for survival; it belongs. Out of the water, it is weak and vulnerable, and yet in its unfamiliarity holds the power to incite fear and disgust within us. It can be imagined flopping and writhing and pulsating on the floor in a desperate bid to return home. It is this abject display that sits at the root of our discomfort. The figures in this series embody an urge to defile and dissect that which is alien to us, exerting punishment for the crime of dissimilarity. Through these morbid explorations, Eleanor seeks to create places of refuge among our weird and eerie convictions.