Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0002-2392-5615

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Art

Reader 1

Alyson Ogasian

Reader 2

Kasper Kovitz

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Eli P Laloudakis

Abstract

Selkie Phenakistoscope explores bodily and environmental autonomy through an ecofeminist lens, using the selkie myth as a symbolic narrative. The story of the selkie, a seal-woman whose sealskin is stolen by a fisherman so she remains a captive on land, is animated on a phenakistoscope; a Victorian optical device that creates the illusion of motion. The disc shows a looping scene inspired by the Icelandic retelling "Selshamurinn" ("The Seal-Skin") by Jón Gudmundsson in the 17th century. The phenakistoscope takes a snapshot of this story and repeats it, illustrating the fisherman taking and then returning the selkie’s sealskin to show the unstable relationship with her own autonomy.

Link to Image Gallery

https://theselkieecofeminist.carrd.co/

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