Amrapali Hazra
Sharing stories of the paranormal to create interconnectedness, interest, and empathy
This in-person workshop has a maximum of 15 participants and is 5.5 hours in duration with three 10-minute breaks, therefore a total commitment of six hours. Participants share stories and anecdotes related to unexplained moments and events and must be comfortable sharing experiences of this nature. The results of the workshop and content of the same may be used, published, or shared by the facilitator for the purposes of their own work and documentation.
In the human realm and our understanding of reality, the exploration into and fascination with the unreal, unexplained, and supernatural holds a strange and dominant position. Some of the world’s most prolific writers, thinkers, scientists, and spiritualists have concerned themselves with such matters in their research, leaving behind large bodies of work on the same. They have spent their time and effort telling tales, documenting anecdotes, and imagining stories, all with the sole aim of preserving those aspects of our cultural history that are at once both horrific and magnetic to us. Sharing the extraordinary transforms the ordinary and converts it into a rich tapestry of woven moments, of lives lived and things seen and heard, which can only be understood when one goes about collecting such tales.
Sharing stories and experiences through a series of activities within the framework of this workshop is based on the method known as story-based systemic design (SBSD), a participant-driven framework for systemic design that integrates systems thinking and storytelling in seeking community-developed solutions to wicked and persistent problems. The goal is to help people use systemic design to change the systems they interact with to foster more desirable outcomes. Social innovation, sustainability, and cultural preservation are central to the process—as is communication, interaction, social connectedness, mutual respect for and understanding of other cultures—finally finding common ground and perspective for an emerging inclusive, harmonious future.
KEYWORDS: systemic design, storytelling, cultural studies, alternate reality, social connections, narratology
RSD: Cases & Practice, Learning & Education, Society & Culture
