Imago River
Imago, originating from New Latin imāgō, means "representation, semblance, image". Imago has an entomological meaning: the final developmental stage of an insect after metamorphosis, typically its winged state. There are several usages of imago in psychoanalytic theory as well. They intersect in that the imago is never actually equal to the thing it means to imitate. There is always distortion, fragmentation, distance. Much like a Victorian Salmon fly, intricate and brightly colored Victorian-era fly fishing patterns popular among the British aristocracy, which can imitate winged insects in aspects of color and movement but remains eerily distant from the original referenced form.
Humans continue to damage ecologies and erase the cultures that depend on them. Fly patterns, imitating insects or baitfish specific to an ecology and composed of feathers and fur from native species, could serve as an archive of lost species. No matter how beautifully a fly is crafted, no imitation can replace what is lost. It will always be an imago, an echo, a container for what once was.
Through the design of Victorian salmon flies, Imago River gives form to native plants and animals that have been dispossessed from the Onondaga Lake watershed since Euro-American capitalist interference. This is a living, changing archive that will reflect current Onondaga Lake watershed restoration efforts that aid in the return of native plants and animals, including the once plentiful Atlantic salmon, to these waters.
Humans continue to damage ecologies and erase the cultures that depend on them. Fly patterns, imitating insects or baitfish specific to an ecology and composed of feathers and fur from native species, could serve as an archive of lost species. No matter how beautifully a fly is crafted, no imitation can replace what is lost. It will always be an imago, an echo, a container for what once was.
Through the design of Victorian salmon flies, Imago River gives form to native plants and animals that have been dispossessed from the Onondaga Lake watershed since Euro-American capitalist interference. This is a living, changing archive that will reflect current Onondaga Lake watershed restoration efforts that aid in the return of native plants and animals, including the once plentiful Atlantic salmon, to these waters.
Digital booklet coming soon...
Proudly powered by Weebly