A Workshop with Sarah Maria Griffin, November 2022

How vital is it to not only see, but to unpack, intuit and practice divination? The marrying of visual

literacy, imagination and intellect is of utmost importance in a world where we are bombarded with

images ad infinitum. With the renowned Irish writer Sarah Maria Griffin, the students at KSWE got to

delve into the Tarot, semiotics and Dixit dissection, moving beyond cliché and into the realm of the

extended metaphor. For two hours students got to think and write beyond the literal and to couch

real-life concerns in fantastical garb. Being at the mercy of global vagaries we are in need, now more

than ever, of the strange and otherworldly to sustain us by elucidating the messiness of being alive

in a refreshing and provocative manner.

Speculative fiction encourages escape. But it can also reinvigorate tired limbs. Galvanizing us into

agency once more. Sarah Maria Griffin was able to disarm the students, bolster them with the

freedom of privacy and invite them into the power of the weird and wonderful. She taught us how

Science-Fiction can equip us with discernment to avoid falling for a panem et circenses form of

superficial sustenance. Ultimately, Sarah Maria Griffin taught us that decoding and questioning

enable us to reflect on what kind of present we inhabit and what type of future we hope to build.

Having other dimensions of existence allow us to retreat momentarily while still being connected.

Why limit reality to the parameters of the logical mind? The congruence of singularity and

interconnectedness is housed perfectly in the Gaelic word Tonn. The word means both a single wave

and the entire ocean simultaneously. Sci-Fi encapsulates this paradox superbly, helping us to

recalibrate our gaze by showing us how intertwined and unique we all are. Hopefully this is enough

to engender empathy for ourselves and the world we call home. So, let’s build by decoding. Let’s

find comfort in creation and develop a deeper understanding of humankind by embracing the

surreal.

Text: NeO