The Eelosystem

Eelosytem tm emm EEEeeEel loelooslso ysyyst teyteem The eel deal eatery

eel deal eatery The eel deal eatery The eel deal eatery TheThe eel deal eatery

by IVA STANISHEVA 1

Eelosytem

t emm E EeEel oel osl o ys yst eyt em The eel deal eatery

Thedeal eel The deal eel eatery deal eatery The eel eatery

‘I’ll give ya a great jelly on it’

‘I’ll give ya a great jelly on it’

Eelosystem a project by Iva Stanisheva MArchD at Oxford Brookes 2012-2014

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Content: Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1 - Pie ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter 11 - Mash ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 111 - Liquor ....................................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 1v - The eel that lost its’ way ........................................................................................................... 105 Chapter v - Collaborations ............................................................................................................................ 139 References ...................................................................................................................................................... 157

Main design project

Introduction

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Regent Canal fish species

Explorational collage The London Eel farm

The initial idea was to find an unused industrial location or a building that I could use to plant my a quaponic farm and to use water (canals and rivers) to distribute the food to local communities. In extreme weather conditions such as a major flooding, the urban farm would still function as it would be a vertical system

where it won’t be crucial if the ground floor is effected. While the normal infrastructure could be strongly affected from the weather conditions, this farm will still be able to use the natural water connections to distribute organically produced food to the most affected local areas.

Chapter |

PIE*

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* Baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. ** Traditionally the English Pie ‘n’ Mash dish is made with beef filling, however stories state that the original pies where made with Thames eels.

ANGUILLA ANGUILLA

“...one of the most fascinating life-cycles on EARTH..�

Since the early 1980s, recruitment of glass eels to European waters has shown a marked decline of up

90%

to (Moriarty, 1996, Dakker, 2000; ICES, 2002) and stocks are now considered tto be in danger of collapse (Moriarty & Dekker, 1997; ICES, 2006).

The European Eel is a critically endangered species. Since the 1970s, the numbers of eels reaching Europe is thought to have declined by around 90% (possibly even 98%).

In 2008 they gave been added to the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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LONDON’S’ EELS “The first fast food in England”

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Joe Cook of Cookes’ Eel, Pie and mash shop in Hoxton, London, UKEel, pie and mash shops are a traditional but dying business.

Changing tastes and the scarcity of the eel has meant that the number of shops selling this traditional working class food has declined to just a handful mostly in east London. The shops were originally owned by one or two families with the earliest recorded, Manze’s on Tower Bridge Road being the oldest surviving dating from 1908. Generally eels are sold cold and jellied and the meat pie and mash potato covered in a green sauce called liquor.

SFE_110628_251.jpg Copyright ©Stuart Freedman

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In the month of April; the shores of the Severn are annually darkened with innumerable quantities of elvers, which are seen fringing the sides of the river a black ascending line, which appears in constant motion…When the elvers appear in the river they are taken in great quantities with sieves of hair cloth, or even with a common basket, and after being scoured and are offered for sale. They are either fried in cakes, or stewed, and are accounted very delicious.

Elvers were an essential food source in more ways than one according to Andrew Kerr of the Illustrations of the Natural History of Sustainable Eel Group: ‘entire communities Worcestershire, Dr Hastings c.1830 An elverer on the River Severn would live on them; indeed … they were even used to fertilise the fields.’

How to Skin an Eel After picking him up, throw him down on the ground with all your force. This will stun the animal, and you may take a sharp knife and make a circular cut below the first or pectoral fins (Fig. 97). Then with the fingernails, peel the skin back until can get a good hold of it with your hands, which you have previously covered with dust.

Now take hold of the head with one hand, and strip the skin back with the other hand as shown in the third position (Fig. 98).

Eel-Tail Bait

Bentons book oh household

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Cooking for kings Antonin Careme

The Book of Eeels Tom Fort

Traditional eel pie recipes

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Two Early Summer Eel Spears

Eel Pie Island Eel Pie Island is an island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London. It is situated on the Tideway and can be reached only by footbridge or boat. The island was known as a major jazz and blues venue in the 1960s.

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The Rolling Stones playing at the Eel Pie Island 1963

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This book is one of the most important historical document of the 60s, a memoir in haibun form. It is part of the Hidden Brook Press, celebrated North Shore Series - the 28th book in this renowned Canadian literature series.

across Ireland ... live in the derelict Eel Pie Island Hotel with hippies, junkies and bikers ... be seduced by school girls ... drop acid in Cambridge ... sleep in a cave on Formentera ...

This memoir of a sixties survivor has become a haiku/haibun classic and an oft-quoted reference for the heady ferment which was the tail end of the 1960s.

Before the draft for the Vietnam War called, Chris Faiers was a shy bookworm. But he read his Kerouac, and when the draft notices kept coming, “Canadian Chris” hit the dharma road feet first and didn’t look back for three years.

Meet a Beatle! Attend the first Glastonbury music festival! Fight cops and skinheads at the infamous 144 Piccadilly squat! Hear a banshee and walk

Eel Pie Island Dharma: A hippie memoir/haibun

By Chris Faiers Published by Hidden Brook Press ISBN - 978-1-897475-92-8

Chapter ||

MASH*

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Commercial advertising & eels David Beckam photographed by Alasdair McLellan. for Fantastic Magazine, 06 April, ‘11

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Gillian Anderson - conger eel

Melanie-Bernier-European-Eel

Illustration by James Prosek Harper (2010)

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The space in between by James Prosek In his large eel prints, which he has been making for a decade, a dead eel is slathered in ink and stamped on the paper to make intricate weaves that resemble ocean or river currents.

Illustration by JOHN BROADLEY’S BOOKS

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The smoked eel and horseradish sandwich with red pickled onion on toasted rye JOHN BROADLEY’S BOOKS

Illustration for Marine Quarterly by Claudia Myatt

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Ron’s Eel and Shell Fish Late afternoon reflections of old industrial buildings on Regent’s Canal in the Hoxton/Shoreditch area of London. The ad for “Ron’s Eel and Shell Fish” is an art installation from Bob & Roberta Smith. It’s for a project called “Shop Local” which is inspired by the advertising signs painted in the area during the 19th century and is a tribute to the local businesses that maintain their individuality in the face of an economy that is increasingly dominated by mega-corporations and usually offers a homogenised shopping experience.

PRODUCTION: ANGUILLA ANGUILLA A FILM BY IVA STANISHEVA STORYBOARD

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Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

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Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Action: Intro Lighting sequence; Bike lights turning on; Lens flare Close up Shot: Static Cast: N/A Dur: 1-2 sec

Illustration by James Prosek from “Eels”

Anguilla Anguilla

The video is available on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/95395385

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The beauty of the details

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Chapter |||

LIQUOR*

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* “ The liquor is a family secret” that creates the identity among the different pie&mash shops around London.

It’s main ingredient is parsley but the rest can’t be revealed. ** It is refereed to ‘what glues the dish together’

After the Gasometers

by Katy Evans-Bush If those were crowns, the kings must have stretched out underground from Regents Canal to Stepney Green.

At that size, they were gods. But no, the earth was level: a thick eiderdown of chemicals and dirt, beneath the play of air on iron filigree, the orange light that danced at sunset through the rings.

Egg Printing Explained, Salt Publishing, 2011

The king on the streets/ menu

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The industrial steel crown of East London

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The Manifesto There are more than 7 billion people inhabiting 30% of the earth (the other 70% is water) and more than 1.2 billion people rely on fish as a daily source of protein. In the last 60 years stocks of large fish have fallen with 90% and there has been warnings that if things don’t change by 2060 there will be catastrophic collapse of all types of fish species.

Specific species, such as the European eel (Anguilla Anguilla) which inhabits a lot of UKs river and tributes of Themes, have already been impacted.

The population of mature eels has dropped by more than 80% in the past 60 years. What use to be cheap and accessible food in the poor industrial areas in London, has now disappeared from most peoples menu. If you do decide to try jelly eels, which now have become more of a traditional touristic dish in London, you will probably end up eating one with eels imported from Holland.

The project aim is to reintroduce the eels into the English cuisine while celebrating and understanding the fishs’ magnificent life cycle.

During the industrial revolution eels were extremely popular among Londoners as the Themes and its’ tributes were full with them and people were able to catch them easily in large amounts. Glass eels were a delicates but the eel pie and mash popularity quickly conquered the streets and established itself as the most popular dish at the time and quietly became the first fast food in England. The project is located in the hart of its historical context where the traditional English dish originated. It’s aim is to use the setting of the existing gas holders on Regent Canal in order to trigger a conversation about human progress and the challenge of preserving what has become a stereotypical East London experience.

The Anguilla Anguilla’s journey to London

0-3 months

3 months

6 months

Copyright ©Stuart Freedman Copyright ©Stuart Freedman

Eggs (<1mm)

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Pre-leptocephalus ( 5mm) Copyright ©Stuart Freedman

Leptocephalus (7mm) 8 months

9 months

10-14 months

Copyright ©Stuart Freedman

Copyright ©Stuart Freedman

Metamorphosing leptocephalus (40 mm)

Elver/glass eel (50-70 mm)

12-24 months

Glass Eels cough in London

The site - Bethnal Green Gasometers, Regent, East London

London Bridge

Billingsgate Market Olympic Stadium

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Wind Rose London

Historical reference

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Transco, the pipeline arm of the former British Gas monolith, has announced plans to dismantle virtually all its 550 gasometers across over the next 10 years.

Only a handful will remain and then only because they are listed buildings.

The O2

London Barrier

Illustration by James Prosek from “Eels” (2010)

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Form finding exploration

Developing sketches

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Site sketches

Conceptual composite drawing exploring initial ideas in terms of composition of spaces, textures and light

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Initial architectural concepts Sensory experience, minimalistic architecture through celebration and manipulation of light and reflections

Development and testing of initial ideas in terms of sensory experience through the site and space definition

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Initial sketches developing a number of key locations throughout the site for interaction with the eels

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Site plan 66

51.533501 N 10 m 20 m

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Key diagram explaining the relationship between the eel and the

human cycle upon which the programme of the complex is designed, where the interaction between the two paths creates a series of pivotal spots along the visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exploration-al journey.

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Caught from the local tributes and canals or/ and from lab on site

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Glass eels

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Elver

(those stages of the eels development require darkness or no direct sunlight)

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Yellow eel

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Part of the mature eels are released into the canal

Silver eel

Graphical translation of the key diagram into a contextual plan where the same structure, system and relationship is followed. The number of key interactive points are located along the visitors path, aiming to provide a variety of experiences while understanding and celebrating the complicated life cycle of the European Eel (Anguilla Anguilla).

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3. The transition between the eel ponds takes the visitors out into the open space where a/the first quick glimpse of the gasometers and the large open space is presented.

2. They will enter the first large pond and will be soon surrounded by darkness.

Walking on the same level as the eels themselves, people sight would soon adapt and they will be able to detect some delicate light reflections on the large concrete walls. Soon they would realise that they can only hear their own echo and sounds of splashing water.

1.When entering the site, the visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; view would be blocked by large concrete walls.

A large ramp will slowly submerge them into the water. Just before they enter the first breeding pond they will get a glimpse of the gasometers and the large pool of water through the opening in the wall.

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4. After coming out the last enclosed eel pond, the visitors are finally taken out into the large open space. The semi submerged into the water walkway, guides the visitors through the largest eel pond and the magnificent historical structure while enabling them to enjoy the sense of scale and the gasometer’s’ reflections.

5. The journey has reached its’ peek point. Both of the cycles (the visitors’ and the eels’ one) are organised around this specific spot. After living in the large open pool, part of the eels (all of which have reached their silver stage and are sexually mature), are being released into the canal to help recover the eels’ population. The close proximity of the walkway to the runway allows people to witness the empowering moment of giving back the freedom to those craters.

6. The walkway carries on creating the boundary between the water of captivity and the water of freedom.

7. The walkway is now gradually bringing the visitors to more populated area. A fish belt occurs from the water on their left slowly bringing eels out of the water.

8. The eel and the peoples parallel journey continues where both of the parties enter the Pie&Mash premises.

The eels end up ruthlessly gutted and cooked in front of the visitor, while they continue towards the menu boards and the till.

9. The walkway ends up with a large sitting area, where people are invited to enjoy their dish of choice while looking back onto their journey and the monolithic stillness of the site.

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1. Entrance/Exit and main walkway 2. Eel cell 1 3. Eel cell 2 4. Eel cell 3 5. Eel food storage 6. Eel pool 7. Fish belt 8. Pie â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mash restaurant 9. Outside seating area 5m

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Sensory experience and phenomenology of light

Light The light and itsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; qualities are specifically managed in order to create a dark atmosphere for the eel ponds as the young eels have to be protected from direct sunlight

Sound Because of the size and the shape of the space an echo effect is expected.

The visitors will hear loudly there footsteps, the splashing water and the movement of the large eels

Materials The materials are kept to a minimum. The structures are made of in situ concrete with steel reinforcements and steel truss construction for the roof 74

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Mesh for Volume 1 Sieve Mesh # 28 700 microns, Beach Sand Mesh for Volume 2 Sieve Mesh # 16 1400 microns,

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Mesh for Volume 3 Sieve Mesh # 1 10000 microns

Volume 3 - 32 868 000m2 Yellow eels (200mm)

Volume 2 Elver eel

2 ls (80 mm)

Section B - B Volume 1 Glass eels (50mm)

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Natural ventilation Wind forces

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Forces coming from the roof and being distributed down towards the foundations

Flat warren-vert truss roof construction with metal decking and concrete slab

Relationship with water

The site allows the water to circulate freely through the site supplying the eels daily with fresh water Water dynamics through the site

Structural Axonometric

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Initial sketches for construction details

Structural Detail

Reinforced concrete edges at the openings Scale 1:5

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Structural Detail

Concrete floating foundation and the connection with the piles Scale 1:10

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Structural Detail

Flat warren-vert truss roof construction with metal decking and concrete slab Scale 1:10

Animated Section A - A Relationship with water - floating strategy

Increased water level by 800mm Level of building when floating (800mm) Fish nets floating when water level increased by 800mm

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Experiential Map

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Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

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Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

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Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

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Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

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Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

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Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla

Scene from the video Anguilla Anguilla 93

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Restaurant plan

1. Eelosystem entrance 2. The belt - brings fresh eels from the pool 3. Sitting area - 82 seats 4. Bar - 14 seats 5. Catering area 6. Kitchen 7.Cleaning&gutting eels 8. Preparation area 2m

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9. Washing area 10. Cold kitchen 11. Storage 12. Staff office 13. Staff room 14. Toilets 15. Wastage & recycling 16. Outside seating area 17. Walkway 20 m

10 cm

Brand development Collaboration with Alexander Taralezhkov

Eelosytem The eel deal eatery

‘I’ll give ya a great jelly on it’ 97

‘I’ll give ya a great jelly on it’ jellied eel = deal

‘EEEE WWWW SSSS’

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Concept Eelosystem eatery is developed to compliment the Eel farm experience and comes as a natural conclusion of the visitors’ journey.

The serving is heavily influenced by the fresh produce supplied on site by the fish farm.

The concept brings together two aspects of East London. Trendy present catalyst for creativity and working class past full of character, flavour and authenticity.

Design The surroundings and architectural specifics of the site shape it into a unique and beautiful interpretation of a traditional Pie and Mash shop. The modern design combines reinvented elements of Victorian and Georgian design.

Culture In addition of being a wonderful place to explore original food staples, such as pie and mash, the restaurant acts as an ambassador, promoting East London’s rich culture.

Eeelosystem is a refined version of a Pie and Mash shop. It offers simple, yet sophisticated space in which the diners could enjoy the tradition of East London.

Service Emphasis will be placed on the cockney no fuss style of service.

Menu The menu is structured around the signature dish of Pie and Mash plus daily specials exploring world eel recepies.

Beverage As an addition it also offers great artisan coffee and tea in a modern East London barista style. The alchoholic selection of drinks is sourced from the local micro breweries, which are a grwoing trend in East End. Feature elements • Reclaimed Thames Brick Bar The feature bar/food counter is constructed of washed up bricks from the Thames riverbed.

• Marble Tables • Victorian inspired floor tiles • Bookshelf with East London publications and periodicals Inspiratinal imagery overleaf

Daily specials smaple menu * Creamy smoked eel pate served with sour dough bread or crackers * Charcoal grilled fillet of eel glazed with tare served on fragrant steamed rice seasoned with Japanese pepper.

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Tasting menu Private dining concept

Eel soup dumpling

The Eel dumpling is prepared using the same method as the traditional Chinese soup dumpling. Cut up eel jelly is encased in a dumpling pastry. Once steamed the heat bring the eel jelly to a liquid state turning it into soup. The dumpling is served on heated Thames riverbed pebble.

Seasoned baby eel

Grilled eel on Thames brick

A spin on the Japanese grilled eel on rice. This version is served on chunky mashed potato topped with parsley liquor buttor block.a

Eel pate

Eel pate with horseradish butter and crackers served on styrene

Glass eel in its purest form. Lightly seasoned and fresh as far as fish goes. The seasoning is crushed in an improvised mortar and pestle

Eel soup dumpling The Eel dumpling is prepared using the same method as the traditional Chinese soup dumpling. Cut up eel jelly is encased in a dumpling pastry. Once steamed the heat bring the eel jelly to a liquid state turning it into soup. The dumpling is served on heated Thames riverbed pebble.

Seasoned baby eel Glass eel in its purest form. Lightly seasoned and fresh as far as fish goes. The seasoning is crushed in an improvised mortar and pestle

Grilled eel on Thames brick A spin on the Japanese grilled eel on rice. This version is served on chunky mashed potato topped with parsley liquor butter block.

Eel pate Eel pate with horseradish butter and crackers served on styrene

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Conceptual crockery Thames reclaimed crockery to compliment the tasting menu. Imaginary reconstructed plates and mugs with elements of reclaimed pottery. Glazed and fired Thames brick dish set.

Chapter 1v

The eel that lost itsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; way*

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The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco

The play tells a story about an Old Man a child and old man, a young lover and husband. and an Old Woman which are stuck in their monotonous reality, day after day, after day..

Both of the characters regret their past while living in its shadows but refuse to take Both of the characters seems to struggle to responsibility for their present and future life. define what is present and what a memory This idea is strongly connected with the authorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as they replay the same story daily but they concept of the past being an unreachable part are struggling to finish it. The motion of of the repetitive loop of our circular present repetitiveness is embedded in both of the where the only purpose would be fighting for a characters, representing a never ending present- greater good... tense cycle. The Old Woman tries to erase her memory every night before going to bed by Both of the characters regret their past and taking a dose of salt and the Old Man refers to wish they could change it The Old Man has a her as his mother and his father. In his world greater aim, to share the message, and his life there is no begging or ending, in his stories he is would be fulfilled only if he shares it.

Christo, Big Air Package, Gasometer Oberhausen, Germany, 2010-13 Photo: Wolfgang Volz Š 2013 Christo.

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Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mahony Pike designed The Alliance apartments at the Gasometer building in Dublin, Ireland

The wider context: Deadly, Holy, Rough, Immediate Baroque theatre visit in London Day trip visiting theaters and looking at back/stages and their key mechanisms. Time to take some inspirational notes.

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Fuerza Bruta

Fuerza Bruta is a postmodern theatre show that originated in Buenos Aires in 2005 and was created by Diqui James. It is also the name of the company that brings the show, formerly called De La Guarda. It is a very energetic spectacle under the motto â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brute Forceâ&#x20AC;?, has interaction between the performers and

the public, and is described as a 360 degree experience.

The show has been running downtown, OffBroadway in New York at the Daryl Roth Theater since 2007. The New York cast has been extended to 16 people, and more than 500,000 people have seen the show.

Stage design model I was inspired by interactive plays and their stage design.

Some of the examples had a very minimalistic approach to their layout as they were concentrating on the audience.

I wanted to create a space where the audience and the actors are not separated by a stage. This would encourage interaction and it would create more personal experience.

I wanted to recreate the feeling of floating in flood disasters.

The idea that when a city flood, everyone is floating, regardless if you are an actor, a visitor, a politician or an animal inhabiting the urban environment.

My model wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t particularly successful but its aims was to test floating devices and structures in order to recreate the feeling of being in water, during a performance.

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The farm programme

ase

b The

365 days a year all year crops 3 hectares + 10 000 fish =100 000 food production 10 000 fish

Initial thoughts for mechanics in the building. Looking into rotating the vertical farm platforms around the central core of the building.

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Historical reference

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Transco, the pipeline arm of the former British Gas monolith, has announced plans to dismantle virtually all its 550 gasometers across over the next 10 years. Only a handful will remain and then only because they are listed buildings.

PICTURE CREDIT

P. KENNEDY/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

COMMENT BOOKS & ARTS

Eels are revered as gods by some cultures, including that of the Maori — as depicted in this wall mural in Canterbury, New Zealand.

ECO LO GY

The mystery of eels

Kim Aarestrup is reminded of how little we know about these endangered fish.

S

nake-like and nocturnal, eels are mysterious creatures. They spawn in remote and nutrient-poor places in the seas, and no human has ever seen one reproduce in the wild. Their rice-sized hatchlings embark on an odyssey of up to 6,000 kilometres to find fresh or brackish water, where they grow for decades — reaching weights of more than 20 kilograms — only to return to the sea, where they spawn, die and sink into the abyss.

Exploited as food for millennia owing to their abundance, taste and high energy content, eels cannot yet be cultured profitably.

All traded eels are wild — and populations are plummeting. Species in temperate areas, including the American, Japanese and European eel, have become scarce, with populations dropping by more than 90% in the past four decades. European eels are now listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a shocking development for a fish once found across all the accessible waters of Europe.

In Eels, naturalist James Prosek travels

and interviews leading scientists worldwide to examine the Anguilla genus. By broadening the perspective beyond Atlantic species, his book complements Tom Fort’s marvellous The Book of Eels (HarperCollins, 2002).

As well as describing the biology of the eel, Prosek considers the cultural and economic value we attach to it, interweaving historic vignettes from Aristotle’s interest in the origins of European eels to Sigmund Freud’s nineteenth-century search for their testes.

Prosek visits New Eels: An Exploration, from Zealand, where the New Zealand to Maori revere the large the Sargasso, of endemic longfin eel the World’s Most Anguilla dieffenbachii Mysterious Fish as a religious symbol, JAMES PROSEK which they believe HarperCollins: 2010.

304 pp. $25.99 can bark like a dog

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and scream like a baby. Large road projects have been diverted to avoid areas populated by taniwha, or special guardian eels. Prosek goes to Japan, a nation that eats vast quantities of eel, making the traditional dish kabayaki a multimillion-dollar industry. He also visits the Micronesian island of Pohnpei, where Anguilla marmorata is sacred, believed to be the islanders’ ancestor.

Restoration of eel populations will be difficult. Prosek lists contributors to their decline: loss of habitat, dams, fishing, introduction of parasites, pollutants and changes in ocean currents. These factors, and our lack of knowledge about key stages of the eel life cycle, make population management problematic.

The plight of temperate species has led to a surge of eel research in the past few years.

Recent papers have described captures of Japanese eels that have spawned, showing that they do so in tropical ocean frontal zones, a mixing zone between warm and cold oceanic waters. Other research has revealed the diet of newly hatched eel larvae (called leptocephali)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...one of the most fascinating life-cycles on EARTH..â&#x20AC;?

80% cut of the eels population in the last 5 years 88 years is the oldest eel found

^Initial master plan sketch Initial master plan showing system stacking

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The farm will require the implementation of a suitable translucent material to cover and protect the plants.

Preferable, this will be a very light translucent material with high insulation properties

Eel spears and related fishing implements made by New Jersey blacksmiths. Photographs from Robert J. Sim, Pages from the Past of Rural New Jersey (Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Agricultural Society, 1949), p.86.

Inspirations

Phenomenology

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Floating performing/public spaces Food distribution via the canal

v

The Eel Farm

Bethnal Green Gasometer Regent’s Canal, London

Iva Stanisheva

The demand of food is a rising global issue with shocking figures showing that by 2030 we need to increase our food production by 50% and by 2050 – 70%. In the next 40 years more than 70% of the worlds population will be inhabiting urban environments. The challenge of todays agriculture is finding a way and resources in order to produce this amount of food while aiming for hight quality natural produce and being environmentally responsible and efficient.

There are more than 7 billion people inhabiting 30% of the earth (the other 70% is water) and more than 1.2 billion people rely on fish as a daily source of protein. In the last 60 years stocks of large fish have fallen with 90% and there has been warnings that if things don’t change by 2060 there will be catastrophic collapse of all types of fish species. Specific species, such as the European eel (Anguilla Anguilla) which inhabits a lot of UKs river and tributes of Themes, have already been impacted. The population of mature eels has dropped by 80% in the past 60 years.

What use to be cheap and accessible food in the poor industrial areas in London, has now disappeared from most

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peoples menu. If you do decide to try jelly eels, which now have become more of a traditional dish in London, you will probably end up eating one imported from Holland.

According to the annual reports and statistics, food production and food supply is seen as a major challenge of our near future and one of the essentials for humans to survive in case of any disasters that needs to be urgently addressed. The aim of this project is to introduce and integrate an alternative method of urban farming which not only provides essential food while helping to preserve the European Eel, but questions the way people perceive and engage with urban farms. The innovative urban farm will be a self-sustainable cycle where the waste of one area would feed another. It will be community based where people would get shares or ‘vertical allotments’. In case of disaster such as major flooding, the farm will be capable to provide essential food for parts of London using their transportable mini market to distribute it down the canal and throughout the most damaged areas around Themes.

The site is located in East London where industri-

al buildings and old traditional pubs offering jelly eels can be still seen. Most of those neighborhoods have been developed while integrating the existing industrial fabric. However there are some structures that are more technically and aesthetically challenging than others. Failing in re adapting structures to suit society needs today, more than 500 of the monolithic gasometers around UK were demolished between 1999 - 2009.

The project aim is to use the historic context of the existing gas holders on Regent Canal in order to trigger a conversation about human progress and the evolution of todays industries. Have they been integrated in our daily life?

Are urban farms the next industrial wave and if so, what are the differences? Would the society embrace the idea that each individual should be engaged with the production of his own food and would this raise some questions for mass consumption and the future of our environment.

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Site Plan 1:1000

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Eelosytem The eel deal eatery

‘I’ll give ya a great jelly on it’

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‘I’ll give ya a great jelly on it’ jellied eel = deal

‘EEEE WWWW SSSS’

Eel soup dumpling The Eel dumpling is prepared using the same method as the traditional Chinese soup dumpling. Cut up eel jelly is encased in a dumpling pastry. Once steamed the heat bring the eel jelly to a liquid state turning it into soup. The dumpling is served on heated Thames riverbed pebble.

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Grilled eel on Thames brick A spin on the Japanese grilled eel on rice.

This version is served on chunky mashed potato topped with parsley liquor buttor block.

Seasoned baby eel Glass eel in its purest form. Lightly seasoned and fresh as far as fish goes.

The seasoning is crushed in an improvised mortar and pestle

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Eel pate Eel pate with horseradish butter and crackers served on styrene

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PATTERNS

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Chapter v

Collaborations

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NYIT COLLABORATION October 25 - 2th of November

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD 63 Flushing Ave, New York, NY 11205 Sliding House, Suffolk, UK The building outer form seperates from the internal form, so that the user can enjoy the view, or shelter the view.

After studying alternatives it was agreed to manipulate the local timber framed and clad ‘shed’ idiom.

Aerial view of Brooklyn Naval Yard

Flood plane

View of hospital

The mobile element, which is 28 metres long moves along rails set into the ground. As it moves, the sliding element creates shifting outdoor living areas between the static elements as well as altering views, lighting conditions and the sense of enclosure inside the house.

SLIDES House, sustainable living for Egypt’s climate This is a home which runs exclusively on renewable solar energy due to rooftop arrays of solar thermal panels and photovoltaic cells.

It has a matchbox-like structure, with a double-layered façade of interlocking perforated sections which slide to regulate the amount of sun penetrates the interior of the home.

During the summer, the façade is closed to minimize solar gain an. In winter, the outer layer of the façade opens in order to absorb the heat stored in the thermal mass flooring.

The Concept

The Existing The chosen site which we will be looking at will be the hospital in the naval yard.

North Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

West Elevation

Emergency Rescue Flood Devise will be deployed on site via the use of a helicopter in the case of a flood causing an environmental catastrophe that jeopardies the hospitals capability to accommodate their patients. The building typology will be translated into other building of a similar nature that might be affected by the flood.

The notion of the device is to act as a lift, rescuing people who cannot access the interiors of the flooded building and transporting them onto the roof , where a kinetic structure will be used as a shelter to house people.

HOW TO CREATE A FLOOD PROOF HOSPITAL CARE SITE?

Possible crane which lifts people from hospitals?

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The Rescue TOOLKiT

The aim of the collaboration workshop was to pick a site within the Brooklyn Navy Yard and to come up with a design which tackles flood resilience. Based on the information received regarding the damages from Hurricane Sandy, we found that one of the main issue were electricity shortages. This meant that in terms of emergency care, hospitals were unable to function sufficiently. A major factor regarding this was that patients were unable to be transferred between floors or out of a building because elevators were unable to operate.

Our scheme looks for an alternative solution to this problem where we create a design which is a standalone self-sufficient module. This light weight module is designed so that it can; be dropped off on any rooftop, open up to create an emergency space and allows an elevator to drop down the side of a building operating via water and solar panels. Moving forward this toolkit is transferable as it is designed to work in any emergency situation and to be easily used by the receiver.

Roof Plan

FloorPlan

Elevation

Section

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Oxford Brookes Drama Studio Collaboration DS2: Matt Winning, Michael French and Iva Stanisheva Drama students: Natasha Steward, Joshua Entecott, Guy Killner, Phoebe Hitt and Emily Lister

Earthquakes in London Earthquakes in London is a contemporary play set in modern times. The play has three main character, three sisters whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father is a scientist that predicts the worlds end caused by devastating climate change.

This particular interpretation will be focusing on 6 key scenes that take place in a variety of different locations.

The play is 30 minute long, so quick changes of scenery is essential.

We decide to look into minimalistic stage set design in order to allow flexibility in the different acts while allowing the audience to focus on the narrative an the actors performance.

The design is primarily a series of boxes which will be used as various object through out the play, a bed, a bridge, bench and other elements needed to successfully portray the scenes. Together with the boxes there is also a gantry that is made up of plastic bags that will be able to be lowered and raised to offer further versatility as well as the ability to be rocked from side to side to create more of a sense of being in an earthquake and some bags can fall creating and evoking the feeling that rouble is raining down from the buildings above.

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Images from the actual set

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ROADS OF HOURS AND STARS BURNING MAN FESTIVAL - INSTALLATION PROPOSAL Jack Arnold, Iva Stanisheva and Chryss Kechagia-Fragala

Roads of Hours and Stars

Roads of Hours and Stars

Philosophical Statement The travelers of the Silk Road crossed trade routes covering Asia, North Africa and Southeastern Europe, their journeys were crossroads of wealth and hospitality where human interaction was the flower that bloomed in the dessert. The stars and the sky was a trustful companion on their voyage. In day the sun told the hour and the trade gave and took. At night the northern star- nailed to the same place in the sky- guided them or kept them company with the stories of the night.

The same sun that told the hours to the Silk Route traders is now tamed to create crossroads of a map where sky dreamers meet. A sundial is centered and the sundial points north to the northern start. A crossing of day and night on an installation of crossroads. High columns indicate the starting points of the map and the ropes that start from them the different routes of trading. The “routes” cross each other on various resting points under the open sky just like the Caravansary was a place of repose for the Silk traders. The path of snake is the path the silk traders of Black Rock city can take to have a faster route to the top. That will be a group of ropes coloured differently to show the direct path to climb.

Each “traveler” climbing on the installation will be crossing the ropes and moving into his/her own journey in the Caravansary. Moving higher on the structure they can rest on the resting points, see the hours pass on the central sundial and when the night falls the sky opens to a new experience.

The same sundial fixed to the northern star become a guide to stargaze. As the “travelers” climb up and down the structure the ropes illuminate to brighten the night and highlight the interaction of the visitors to the caravansary. At night the installation becomes a caravansary itself that illuminates the sky to demonstrate the most valuable thing in the desert, hospitality through interaction.

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Road

Physical Description The proposal is an installation of ropes and wooden posts. The wooden posts will be placed on earth on an area of 10m (32.8 feet) by 5m (16.4 feet). The triangular sundial will be the centre point to cast shadows on the area among the columns. The columns will be dug in earth with metal plates to hold them still. Columns will be carved to hold the ropes safe. Ropes will be going from one to the other posts and through the sundial. In-between the ropes fabric will create resting points where visitors can lie and stargaze. The installation will be illuminated with motion sensors at night.

The structure will be burned down at the end after the lightning mechanisms are removed.

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Budget

MATERIALS AMOUNT 18' wooden post 16' wooden posts Ground Screw Sisal Rope 18mm x 120m/ 0.06' x 394' 220m/722' Vibration Sensor Illuminating Wire 100m/328' 56" wide Square Cotton Fabric Steel ground plate foundations Heliostat kit+mirror Post transportation from Reno Material transportation + fuel from Reno TOTAL

1 7 8 500 6 8 1

PRICE

$50 $210 $480 $290 $100 $120 $64 $500 $4000 $1200 $1700 $8664

Materials Wooden posts, ropes and metal plates (for foundation).

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Interactivity Interactivity is what will make the structure work and illuminate. The resting points on high levels of the installation is what will motivate the citizens of Black Rock City to climb on, explore the path of the Caravansary and rest with view down to the illuminating world or stargaze the sky. The ropes will illuminate at night when visitors touch or climb them reacting to their movement. The path of the snake is a direct route that visitors can take to climb on the top hammock.

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Eelosytem The eel deal eatery