I had a clear intention for my time at NES—and was surprised by the opposite direction my work took this summer. New synapsis in my brain seemed to happen. New forms of expression. I am a PhD researcher and writer @Aberystwyth University in Wales, and former Fulbright Fellow in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I stepped away from my academic work in literature this summer to focus on a new project.
I created The Foss and Moss Puppet Theatre to support the epic absurdist poem I have started writing. I cultivated stanzas by utilizing textiles from the natural world, such as Icelandic wool roving, to create individual characters who represent surrealist ideas about what it is to exist as a human in a meaningless/meaningful world. Through this practice as research and the use of interdisciplinary modes of expression, I was able to generate new creative impulses in my writing. The intense natural environment of Iceland, the mountains, sea, wind, arctic terns, sheep, unseen elemental beings, and the opposing force—the human being—was fertile ground for a delve into existential questions for my Puppet Theatre of the Absurd Poetry Project. I also began to read and study the fiction of Icelandic writer, Sjón, who inspired me immensely, as well as the poems of Gerður Kristný. I have been deeply moved by the imaginative landscape, both in Icelandic literature, as well as out the door on foot, miles and miles of wide expanse.
Side event: I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow artists for one week on a concert, where, besides reading from my book, Firewalking, I performed two pieces musical theatre pieces—one dramatic, one joyful. I was trained as a soprano and performed for many years but had not done so in more than almost two decades. So, I was thrilled to work together, especially with Galina Dimova Georgieva, the gorgeous classical pianist and composer from Cyprus. You can seem more of Kelly’s work on her website https://kelleymckenna.com