Teaching & Learning Lab
World Building
World Building
Un/Common Proximity: Perspectives from Alisa Sikelianos Carter
Un/Common Proximity: Perspectives from Alisa Sikelianos Carter
I’m a world builder and
I’m a world builder and
a mythology-maker, storyteller.
a mythology-maker, storyteller.
I am a mixed media painter and
I am a mixed media painter and
my world building is a response to
my world building is a response to
the violence and horrors that we
the violence and horrors that we
experience and have experienced
experience and have experienced
and so I want to create a world
and so I want to create a world
where we are safe and we are protected and
where we are safe and we are protected and
to illustrate like what could have been and what can be,
to illustrate like what could have been and what can be,
what we’re capable of and how we can
what we’re capable of and how we can
survive and get through this.
survive and get through this.
Their energy is there, their literal
Their energy is there, their literal
bodies are there and so I want to
bodies are there and so I want to
honor that and explore it and think about
honor that and explore it and think about
what world could have been for them.
what world could have been for them.
Once these kidnapped Africans are jumping
Once these kidnapped Africans are jumping
into the ocean towards freedom during
into the ocean towards freedom during
the middle passage, I imagine this being
the middle passage, I imagine this being
coming and sort of guiding them down into the water.
coming and sort of guiding them down into the water.
The black figure in blue
The black figure in blue
is a protector of this world underwater
is a protector of this world underwater
inhabited by afronauts who have
inhabited by afronauts who have
escaped enslavement during the middle passage.
escaped enslavement during the middle passage.
We think of the sky and like the cosmos
We think of the sky and like the cosmos
as this place that we are
as this place that we are
praying to our ancestors and honoring them and…
praying to our ancestors and honoring them and…
and I love thinking about the ocean as
and I love thinking about the ocean as
this place as well, this place of
this place as well, this place of
reverence and remembrance because it
reverence and remembrance because it
actually is a place where
actually is a place where
our ancestors did die during the middle passage
our ancestors did die during the middle passage
as a way to escape enslavement.
as a way to escape enslavement.
I guess when I’m thinking about my work I’m always thinking about pockets of safety. So I’m like, what could have happened, what could have been? What would that look like depicting that magic?
I guess when I’m thinking about my work I’m always thinking about pockets of safety. So I’m like, what could have happened, what could have been? What would that look like depicting that magic?
Write...
...what is the world you wish to create through your teaching/counseling/writing?
...who are the protectors in this world?
...what are the colors in this world?
...what is possible in this world? What is magical in this world?
"...what would it look like depicting that magic?” (Alisa Sikelianos-Carter)
Create...
Create...
...any aspect of this world on paper or plexiglass: its physicality, its essence, its feeling, its colors…