Talking Salmon
| Project lead: | Prof. Dr Torsten Schäfer |
| Duration: | May 2024 to February 2028 |
| Funding body: | OKEANOS – Foundation for the Sea (Darmstadt) |
| Participating institutions: |
The interdisciplinary project ‘Talking Salmon’ explores how salmon-like fish can be portrayed and understood as cultural and ecological mediators between humans and nature. These animals, which have been part of indigenous, regional and ecological narratives for centuries, connect habitats such as oceans, rivers and forests. In times of ecological crises and increasing alienation from nature, they are to become narrative figures that open up new perspectives on our relationship with the environment.
Project Overview
The project centres on media-ethnographically oriented fieldwork in various geographical and cultural locations – including Haida Gwaii (Canada), the Modau (Germany), Graz (Austria), Moen (Denmark), the River Teno in the Sapmi region and a salmon farm in Norway. On site, local narratives, rituals, art forms and knowledge practices relating to salmonid fish are documented and analysed. Particular emphasis is placed on indigenous perspectives, which do not draw a distinction between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’, but rather conceive of both as part of a coherent whole.
The collected materials (interviews, observations, audiovisual recordings) are incorporated into multimedia productions: films, essays, literary texts, art projects and installations, which are intended to be received in both academic and public spheres. Reflection on formats and narrative techniques is an integral part of the project: it explores how different media influence our perception of ecological relationships and how narrative design can create new entries into the human-nature connection.
Aim of the project
Talking Salmon aims to break down the divide between humans and nature and establish new ecological narratives through cross-genre and cross-media stories about salmon-like fish. The narrative characters from the water serve as a medium for transcultural and transdisciplinary processes of understanding in the Anthropocene. In the long term, the project aims to highlight new perspectives on the relationship between humans, animals and the environment, thereby providing impetus for a different understanding of coexistence and co-action.
