In 2016, Pangolin London director Rungwe Kingdon presented Abigail Fallis with a porpoise skeleton. “I was rather overwhelmed by this generous offering”, shares Fallis. “I felt a heavy responsibility as to what this magnificent skeleton of our intelligent underwater relatives would become. I hoped to idolise the bones to protect and encase them.”

‘Dagon’ was not the first time Fallis has worked with fish bone. Using a wax casting technique working with Pangolin Editions, Fallis had encased the bones of numerous different fish within her work, counting species from trout to tuna. “Each fish sculpture is a unique sarcophagus, containing the bones of the fish within the bronze.”

The work’s title ‘Dagon’ refers to the ancient Syrian deity, a ’father of Gods’ within the pantheon. Amongst multiple others, Dagon’s key role was to ensure a plentiful harvest. The Hebrew translation of ‘Dag’ (fish) has led to many representations of Dagon as a half-fish, half-human hybrid, as Fallis does in her sculpture.

In her process of protecting and encasing the bones, Fallis creates a near sacred object: “Our predecessors worshipped this hybrid idol specifically because they depended on a living from the sea and the earth. I decided to make a temple of Dagon where we continue to give thanks and make offerings to protect our fellow earthlings. Food for thought indeed.”