Welcome to Bugs and Ballads

Kyra is an aspiring writer, artist, and philosopher. Her creative endeavours have been inspired by an interest in phenomenology, surrealist aesthetics, and unconventional gothic storytelling, deeply reminiscent of the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. The creative aspect of this portfolio engages in an exploration of the unexpected beauty hidden in things that are conventionally dismissed as mundane or grotesque, such as rot, bugs, and death. It seeks to emphasise on life’s ephemeral beauty, reflecting on the delicate threads connecting all living things, and finding wonder in what is often dismissed as mundane or grotesque. Insects are thus both a metaphor and muse. 

The theoretical aspect of this portfolio examines how phenomenology and imagination shape our understanding of media, and consecutively our perception of the world. As a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, where she studied philosophy, literature and film, Kyra is deeply intrigued by the way human beings interpret, represent, and reconstruct their lived experiences. Her creative, critical, and reflective writing weaves together an intersection of her passions in drama, fantasy, and theoretical literary studies with creative and innovative philosophical inquiry.