Siriann Kieffer, MA Creative and Critical Writing, University of Sussex; BA English Studies, University of Luxembourg.Former EU intern. Snowsports instructor. English teacher.
This is my E-portfolio, created for both professional and recreational purposes. I aim to highlight my passion for writing, skiing, music, photography and video editing as well as how I strive to implement my skills within Anthropogenic issues; human-caused damage on the environment.
My philosophy
When I was a child, I was told that the Swiss glaciers were referred to as ‘ewiges Eis’; eternal ice. With great awe I would appreciate the sight of these shiny mountain surfaces and even ski on one of them, on the Diavolezza glacier slope. Less than two decades later, I find myself inhaling the same cool air while now teaching on a pair of skis. My eyes wander towards the grey and white panoramic peaks staring at me. It is as if they have tears in their eyes; the once eternal ice is now melting.
While not all climate change is created by humans, scientists continue to discover the enormous impact we have had and still have on nature. Yet, this knowledge is not yet universal nor fully accepted. I believe that the interconnectivity of information and creativity holds great potential, as science-communication may reach a wider audience through creative approaches, such as anecdotes. This philosophy is at the heart of my creative content.
All content on this website is original work unless stated otherwise. Please do not copy without permission.
Did you know you hold the power to transform brief moments of time into eternity?
We already time-travel within our minds through reminiscence, but how do we showcase our most creative vision to the world around us? Photography holds endless opportunities to express oneself, and indeed, to capture time, making the concept of a time machine a little less fictional. On this page I aim to share my love for time travelling…in the form of photography.
But oh how fun it is to learn – and to teach! As an ISIA-qualified Nordic Snowsports Instructor (and Alpine Instructor in the making), it is my pleasure to introduce and guide my guests through the art of ‘sliding’ on snow. I have spent two winter seasons in the Swiss Alps, and aim to continue teaching as a part time job in the next years to come. Feel free to contact me if you would like to know more about the sport or teaching sessions.
I am also an alpine ski instructor for the St Moritz private ski instructors. You can find us here:
‘There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed’.
Ernest Hemingway
I would like to introduce you to some of my creative writing.
‘IKEA’ was part of a MA essay about the identity of a name, written in 2020. ‘Seeds’ is from my anthropocene-focused MA thesis, and I have chosen to only share the introduction here as I am currently rewriting the plot.
IKEA
Do you know the feeling of walking through Ikea on a Saturday? I have quite often heard people (for some peculiar reason, usually men) describe it as a rather utopian setting. The rooms on display are aesthetic and unblemished, the kitchens impeccably tidy (which in itself is utopian), and the path throughout the store is suspiciously well-calculated, equipped with secret passages ready to bewilder enchanted customers. Yet, what truly stands out to me is that every single piece of furniture, whether it is a tiny polka dotted bedroom lamp or a large grey couch, has its very own name. Growing up in Scandinavia (Norwegians are willing to put aside their sibling-rivalry with Sweden when it comes to Volvo, Abba and Ikea), I know the feeling of walking through Ikea on a Saturday too well, and I must confess that I used to utterly adore this sense of individuality that my red heart with arms-teddybear was entitled to bear – Famnig Hjärta. This genius level of marketing baffles me in every way, and I am not going to lie; my naïve, childish perspective of the world still lingers in my (debatably) grown up mind, which has been trained to recognize consumer traps, to be aware of marketing, and most importantly; to distinguish individualism from mass production. It is with a mixture of awe and great mistrust that I must confess that Ikea indeed blurs the line between the two extremes quite successfully.
Extract from SEEDS
Cleo lays down the note with her father’s handwriting onto the glass table in front of her. She pulls out an old navy-blue booklet from the large beige envelope in which a letter is waiting for her to be read.
My dear daughter. I want you to have this. You know I trust in you, for you have the grace, purity and loyalty of a swan; qualities I never possessed. If you proceed to read this journal of mine, you might be disappointed in me. The expressions of regret I shared last week were alien to you but will likely soon be as clear as the waters from the time in which my journal begins. It is not too late to give a voice to the seeds of knowledge I have buried; it is only too late for me. I should have been better at protecting you and your mother, I should have kept you safe. But I couldn’t even keep myself safe. I was planning to come visit this weekend and tell you this in person if it weren’t for my cancerous lungs, but the doctors think I might only have weeks if not days left. What matters now is your future, and my last mission will be to prepare you for what may come. Even though you have become a swan, you will forever be my little duck. Forgive me. Your dad.
