Keynote Lecture | Hugo Ka Canham: And I, A Newly Evolved Fish, Exhibition | 08 August 2025

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The lecture offers a rich and nuanced argument that weaves together art, theory, and personal narrative. It provides valuable insights into the intersections of water, multispecies entanglements, and queer theory, challenging conventional boundaries. The argumentation is solid, drawing on a diverse range of scholars and artists, and is presented with intellectual rigor. The creative reading of Sila adds an evocative and powerful dimension, illustrating the theoretical points through a concrete historical figure.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The lecture demonstrates strong scientific rigor, with references to established scholars and authors such as Édouard Glissant, Harry Garuba, Saidiya Hartman, and Avery Gordon. The sources are appropriately cited and integrated into the argument. The title accurately reflects the content, as the lecture is directly tied to the exhibition and its themes. The presentation is well-structured and the argument is coherent, though it is primarily theoretical and interpretive rather than empirical.

The title accurately reflects the content: a keynote lecture tied to the exhibition 'And I, a newly evolved fish', delivered by Hugo Ka Canham.

8/10

The lecture is grounded in academic scholarship, referencing established theorists and authors, and is delivered by a recognized professor. The content is interdisciplinary and well-argued, though it is primarily an interpretive and theoretical exposition rather than empirical research.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction by the director of the CHR and Lwando Scott, introducing Hugo Ka Canham.
• 05:00Hugo Ka Canham begins his keynote, discussing enchantment and opacity of water in a multispecies world.
• 10:00Discussion of artworks in the exhibition, including works by Sakil Sulanki, Michaela Peterson, and others.
• 20:00Exploration of water as an unfixing agent, challenging gender and sexual categories.
• 30:00Introduction of the figure of Sila, an enslaved woman, and the creative reading of her story.
• 40:00Continuation of the narrative on Sila, incorporating themes of haunting, memory, and the search for her mother.
• 50:00Reflections on the whale as a symbol of freedom and the entanglement of life forms.
• 1:00:00Conclusion of the lecture and beginning of Lwando Scott's response.
• 1:05:00Lwando Scott offers reflections on the lecture, emphasizing attentiveness and entanglement.

• Riotous Deathscapes — Hugo Ka Canham's book, referenced in the introduction and as a basis for his work.
• Unconfessed — Novel by Yvette Christians, referenced in relation to the figure of Sila.
• Lose Your Mother — Saidiya Hartman's book, referenced in the search for Sila's mother.

• Riotous Deathscapes — Hugo Ka Canham's own work, which explores similar themes of death, suffering, and black life.
• Unconfessed — Yvette Christians's novel, which provides a fictional account of Sila's life, aligning with the lecture's narrative.

• None — No discordant sources were identified in the lecture.