March 2015
Fish Printing
Have you ever made a print of a raw fish? Raw fish is a funny material to work with – it is wet, smooth, smells of ocean, has fins and when you have it in your hands you can imagine you are underwater talking to it . How about if you paint it and make a print on a piece of paper? All sounds great, especially if you are a 6-year-old and have been into fish for the last two years of your life. Take a whole fish, one of those cool to wash but never to eat and get your paint ready. Color the fish and slap it on the paper… The result is different every time –
“What’s inside?”
– She was begging me for a month to buy a whole fish and clean it at home . Here we are at the super market, my 5-year-old excitedly choosing a fish and the fish market sales guy making a face of disgust when I told him I don’t want it cleaned because we want to see all that is in and outside. “We’ll clean it at home” – I said smiling at my shorter partner next to me. I read on his surprised face what he also said, something like- ” are you sure? it’s grossss”. I remember for a moment I felt sorry for him. Excitedly, we just said “Yes, Yes” and hurried to the register. Different! Yes, we like Different – I thought. And it’s a good instance for Sylvie to sense that her interests and curiosity won’t always conform with the opinion of the others. Curiosity and conformity are two opposite things actually.
We brought home the fish. My father thought me how to clean a fish (who would think that this insignificant practical knowledge will provoke a surprise in 2015 urban environment. What a world!) Examining the fins, teeth, tail and then the intestines, looking for the bubble part filled with air inside its stomach was interesting, but Sylvie took part mainly in the first part -the outside exploration. Then she washed her hands and only watched what’s inside.
2015. Red snapper scales.
Aren’t they beautiful?
Imagibeans 