Cities like Barcelona have long since struggled with the influx of visitors. The same images appear on hundreds of feeds, creating an image of a place that is reduced to its well-known attractions. But these snapshots are not how locals see their cities. The tension between these different ways of seeing in a place can easily fall into a dichotomy of those who belong and those who should go home. But being in and exploring place is not so simple – there is great potential in visiting an unknown place to reveal new ways of seeing and thinking. So, how can we slow down and really observe that which makes a place unique? Drawing from her practice-led research of intercultural poetry-making, Claire will present concepts behind the project The Postcard Exchange, which investigates an approach of close observation and multimedia creation to exchange experiences about place and our relationship to it.

Bio
Dr. Claire Rosslyn Wilson is a poet, researcher and editor based in Barcelona. Claire develops video works that explore the unfamiliar (both in terms of unfamiliar places and cultures and the unfamiliarity of the more-than-human). Originally from Naarm, and having worked for periods in Thailand, Singapore and now Barcelona, Claire is particularly interested in how creative practice can be an entry point into exploring the unfamiliar and the unknown in an open and curious way. Claire has a practice-led PhD focusing on translocal creative practice.

Dr. Claire’s research is being developed as part of the Donald Horne Creative and Cultural Fellowship with the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research at the University of Canberra.

This presentation was accompanied by slides. View the slides HERE.