Oral Presentations - Session 2E: UC 332
Pseudo Synesthesia on the Bakken Oil Field - Discovery of Place Through Creative Non-Fiction
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Phil Condon
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Environmental Studies
Abstract / Artist's Statement
My creative non-fiction short story, Pseudo Synesthesia, attempts to provide a new look into how we, as humans, relate to place. The place in the story is North Dakota, in the booming towns and communities located atop the Bakken Oil Field.
To carry out this project I spent five days traveling through and staying in various towns in North Dakota that have been affected by an ongoing oil boom. The trip was partially funded by the Environmental Studies Program, through an education award.
The original component of the story lies in its name. ‘Pseudo Synesthesia’ refers to the narrator's state of mind throughout the telling of different events. To the narrator, certain places feel as if they are certain colors, mostly black and white. At the end of the narrative the narrator looks back and feels his experience has been dominated not by black or white, but by the color red. The color red, in this instance, helps the narrator realize that places themselves cannot be separated into bad or good, or exploitable or non-exploitable, but that all places are alive, which makes them vulnerable and in need of some form of protection.
The project is significant because it attempts to reconcile the climate of intense polarization in the social/political realm of the United Stated today, especially in issues related to the environment.
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (including Creative Writing)
Pseudo Synesthesia on the Bakken Oil Field - Discovery of Place Through Creative Non-Fiction
My creative non-fiction short story, Pseudo Synesthesia, attempts to provide a new look into how we, as humans, relate to place. The place in the story is North Dakota, in the booming towns and communities located atop the Bakken Oil Field.
To carry out this project I spent five days traveling through and staying in various towns in North Dakota that have been affected by an ongoing oil boom. The trip was partially funded by the Environmental Studies Program, through an education award.
The original component of the story lies in its name. ‘Pseudo Synesthesia’ refers to the narrator's state of mind throughout the telling of different events. To the narrator, certain places feel as if they are certain colors, mostly black and white. At the end of the narrative the narrator looks back and feels his experience has been dominated not by black or white, but by the color red. The color red, in this instance, helps the narrator realize that places themselves cannot be separated into bad or good, or exploitable or non-exploitable, but that all places are alive, which makes them vulnerable and in need of some form of protection.
The project is significant because it attempts to reconcile the climate of intense polarization in the social/political realm of the United Stated today, especially in issues related to the environment.