Magical Realist Story Compilations
-Magical realist story compilation for Phuket about tourism to present feedback and possible tactics for the Tourist Authority of Thailand, tour guides, and local stakeholders/organizers to engage tourists and local culture more connectively. At present this story compilation is represented by stories of my own and I hope to include stories from other authors in the future.
Based on the work of Kim Sasser, writing stories of magical realism could help to identify alternative narratives, actions, or engagements tourists could choose to make while visiting Phuket, or traveling in general. When looking at magical realist stories we can identify these alternatives by analyzing if the text is focused more on subversion (magic as a subversive agent), suspension (magic and realism as incompatible – producing textual voids), or summation (materializing and constructing what is missing) and how that mode of operation is related or informed by the tourist space. Sasser's proposed way to analyze magical realist stories through subversion, suspension, and summation, has possibilities to explore identifying aspects of reality and practice, that could use some rethinking and imaginative and magical transformation. This will be further investigated into applicable exercises or questions when writing, sharing, and analyzing stories of magical realism written in different communities.
Alternative Approaches for Speculative Tourism
Contribution to further approaches of Speculative Tourism, developed by Mushon Zer-Aziz and Shalev Moran through story writing and sharing across multi-cultural communities in South East Asia.
-Possible methods for engagement in South East Asian contexts.
Personal Writing Practice to Share
Writing stories of magical realism can be an intuitive and very personal experiential practice and often times I found it difficult to define or describe my own writing practice as an artist. I was regularly reminded to focus on my role as an educator and teaching (even myself) how to write consistently and with direction again. This master's program assisted in the development of consistent and reproducible personal writing practice. As well as a confidence to share these practices and develop them further.
-Writing exercises and processes
-Reflections on writing experiences
Storytelling Postcards
The postcard form as an interactive storytelling tool has the potential to engage non-artists in artistic practice and can be further developed as an educational writing tool. I intend to test them out further with wider audiences and in other locations and contexts.
Blended Activities - Art and Tourism
Blending tourist practices with artistic practice has proven an interesting method to engage and intersect different communities. A consistent practice of hybridity was explored in writing, creating exercises and engagements to blend the expected with the unexpected as a way to subversively critique current tourist trends and allow others to view their own practices from a more critical vantage point. Blended activities have the potential to generate alternative understandings or expectations around possibilities when traveling. Although the hiking and storytelling tours that were first attempted lacked a direct critical questioning or framing, there is potential in hybrid forms of engagement for generating greater awareness, criticality and expectations for travelers. Guiding or leading tours may be out of the legal practices I am allowed living here, but other ways to continue this practice or developing other blended engagements is a future endeavor of mine.
Expanding Networks of Meaning and Building Arts Practices and Opportunities in Phuket
Meeting with more local institutions, stakeholders, and organizers to propose artistic engagements developed through this project for future festivals and collaborations.
-Furthering collaboration and creating a more cohesive art scene through more communication, artistic groups online pages, and weekly/bi-weekly scheduled meetings.
-Phuket story compilation
-Starting an art residency program in Phuket -
"Out of Practice"
Magical Realist Process for Self-Actualization through artistic practice
Further developing a multi-logical methodological approach to magical realist art-making through the process of trial and error.
