Net-Bags and Looking Glasses: Writing in Sympoiesis

Abstract

"NET-BAGS and LOOKING GLASSES: writing in sympoiesis" explores the concept of storytelling as a ritual practice and the idea of sympoiesis as a framework for understanding cultural production. The essay reflects on my childhood experience of collecting and sewing bags, which served as containers for various treasures. Drawing inspiration from Ursula K. Le Guin's "carrier bag theory of fiction," I contemplate the power of storytelling to hold and connect different elements. As I grow older, I realize that the bags I create as a writer are not just physical but also metaphorical, containing worlds and relationships. The essay further delves into a pattern for worlding, discussing the interconnectedness of beings and the importance of recognizing our place within complex systems. It emphasizes the need for a new framework rooted in symbiogenesis, which acknowledges collaborative processes in cultural production. The essay concludes by presenting three knots of convergence as patterns for reading and understanding the world, ultimately calling for a shift towards sympoiesis as a way of looking at ourselves and our creations.