Rivers eels are un-confinable, un-farmable, they are very common but much of their reproductive cycle remains mysterious. Bellyful of Eels is a two part installation. The first part is an animated video exploring the life cycle fo the eel: a composited collage of drawn animation, claymation, puppeting, and animation generated in Processing. The video was included in Art For Change's exhibition entitled The Nature of Cities, curated for the UN Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo.

PART 1 ANIMATION: This animated narrative follows the transformation on a cellular level, from a saltwater larval creature to a freshwater fish as the young eels leave the ocean to enter the rivers along the inhabited human world. Many are fished, the remaining eels live out their the majority of their lives in a solitary muddy river bottom of their own choosing. The eels second and final internal transformation, from freshwater back to saltwater fish, occurs as they leave their river homes, reenter the oceans, disappearing unseen into the depths to reproduce and complete their cycle.

PART 2: INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION: The second part is interactive installation, a (digital) eel nursery. A small table holds a basin of a translucent goo, containing wriggling eels that respond to voices. The eels are generated live in Processing and projected from beneath, using the slime medium as a projection surface. The juvenile eels particularly respond to singing. 

INSTALLATION PHOTOS: 

MORE GENERATIVE EELS: