International Journal of Education & the Arts

Citation: Clarke, J. (2024). The generative nature of parasites: An experimental essay on parasites and autotheory. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 25(si1.2). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea25si1.2

This visual and poetic essay draws on the concept of the parasite from French philosopher Michele Serres, evolved into an artistic methodology within the author’s ongoing project Feminist Hospitalities (2020-). Situated within the context of ongoing art-anthropological work in Japan, it works through concepts of para-sites and parasites and presents artistic research processes; an entanglement of theory and practice that involves transformations across image and language performatively ‘translated’ through digital tools, a para-sitic lecture performance, and images exhibited as the series Parasites (2021, 2023). The essay unfolds the creative process, grappling with being a parasite and creating para-sites, in the aftermath of disaster, and, particularly, the personal transformations related to motherhood. Rooted in language and (mis)understanding across forms and languages, the process reflects layering, appropriation, and poetic polyphony. The essay seeks to convey these complexities by presenting poetic texts alongside visual work, unpacking the challenge of describing creative processes retrospectively.