“Sāmonran” (Salmon Run), 2022

Text-to-image output most probably generated with Stable Diffusion via a LINE messaging-app chatbot called “DrawingVeryWell-kun,” prompted with the Japanese transliteration sāmonran (サーモンラン / “Salmon Run”). First shared on Twitter by the Splatoon player @favorite_Bonsai (late August 2022); later reposted and reframed on X by @DeltyThe73rd (September 2022), after which screenshots circulated widely across platforms. Source

In the five years it took to develop this project, AI image generation has developed well beyond its infancy. This early AI rendering depicts salmon in a stream — not perceived or portrayed as living animals, but as grocery-bought products returned to their natural habitat.

The ALGOFOLK project (“Algorithmic Folklore: The Mutual Shaping of Creativity and Automation”) at the University of Bergen traces the origin story of this image to a Twitter profile called “favorite_Bonsai.” The Japanese user had prompted an AI platform to generate images of the “Salmon Run” mode from the video game Splatoon 2. The original prompt, written as a Japanese transliteration of “salmon run,” was later reinterpreted in Western posts with alternative prompts such as “Salmon in a River” and captions such as “The AI prompt was salmon in the river. So majestic.” These variants ultimately became the most widely shared versions of the narrative.

As the images were reposted and recontextualized, their provenance became increasingly obscured. Each circulation introduced subtle alterations, adding new layers of visual and cultural complexity while distancing the work from its original source.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, fish consumption averages around 20.7 kilograms per person per year (2020 data), according to the Dutch Fish Bureau. Of this, salmon occupies a singular position. It is the most consumed fish species in the country, despite not being native to Dutch rivers in any meaningful way. The salmon eaten in the Netherlands is overwhelmingly farmed Atlantic salmon, imported primarily from Norway.

Research and reflections via ALGOFOLK are the work of sociologist Gabriele de Seta, August 1, 2025

Text-to-image output most probably generated with Stable Diffusion via a LINE messaging-app chatbot called “DrawingVeryWell-kun,” prompted with the Japanese transliteration sāmonran (サーモンラン / “Salmon Run”). First shared on Twitter by the Splatoon player @favorite_Bonsai (late August 2022); later reposted and reframed on X by @DeltyThe73rd (September 2022), after which screenshots circulated widely across platforms. Source

In the five years it took to develop this project, AI image generation has developed well beyond its infancy. This early AI rendering depicts salmon in a stream — not perceived or portrayed as living animals, but as grocery-bought products returned to their natural habitat.

The ALGOFOLK project (“Algorithmic Folklore: The Mutual Shaping of Creativity and Automation”) at the University of Bergen traces the origin story of this image to a Twitter profile called “favorite_Bonsai.” The Japanese user had prompted an AI platform to generate images of the “Salmon Run” mode from the video game Splatoon 2. The original prompt, written as a Japanese transliteration of “salmon run,” was later reinterpreted in Western posts with alternative prompts such as “Salmon in a River” and captions such as “The AI prompt was salmon in the river. So majestic.” These variants ultimately became the most widely shared versions of the narrative.

As the images were reposted and recontextualized, their provenance became increasingly obscured. Each circulation introduced subtle alterations, adding new layers of visual and cultural complexity while distancing the work from its original source.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, fish consumption averages around 20.7 kilograms per person per year (2020 data), according to the Dutch Fish Bureau. Of this, salmon occupies a singular position. It is the most consumed fish species in the country, despite not being native to Dutch rivers in any meaningful way. The salmon eaten in the Netherlands is overwhelmingly farmed Atlantic salmon, imported primarily from Norway.

Research and reflections via ALGOFOLK are the work of sociologist Gabriele de Seta, August 1, 2025