Story of the Fish Girl, The

“The Story of the Fish Girl” is a fantastical tale, told in the style of the silent cinema, about a young woman’s desire to escape her repressive existence, and discover independence and meaning in her life. Her transformation into a fish leads her on a journey of self-realization through the sewers of New York. Passive and naive, the fish girl swims without direction, unable to realize her goal of personal and spiritual fulfillment in the patriachal/animal world of the sewer system. The use of colour through hand-tinting techniques, superimposed over the B&W narrative, creates a visual space full of energy and movement that is distinct from that of the story. The abstracted colour further illustrates the fish girl’s perception of reality, and the physical and social space through which she travels.