Weaving the Alchemy of Water through 2-Eyed Seeing (TES)
South East Science Festival
Guided by Two-Eyed Seeing, uniting the depth of Indigenous wisdom with the clarity of
Western science. Rooted in Ireland’s sacred water traditions and the hands-on chemistry of ink-making, this workshop invites you to explore epistemology—how we know what we know—
through a deeply tactile, local experience.
Conceived by Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall, Two-Eyed Seeing involves looking with one
eye through the strengths of Indigenous knowledge systems and with the other through the
strengths of Western science. In our local Waterford city context, the “Indigenous Eye”
examines Ireland’s ancestral ecological knowledge—holy wells, river mythology, storytelling
while the “Scientific Eye” examines the chemical reactions, hydrology, and molecular
properties of water.
We begin with a short Reciprocal Foraging Walk to search for water portals in the
surrounding area. Our ancestors believed water was a portal to other worlds. We collect
nature’s gifts and share stories about the important role of Celtic knowledge in better
understanding cultures, climate change, and future ancestor concepts. Since water is the
medium for our ink, we discuss its role as the “Lifeblood,” and as a universal connector. We
reflect on David Attenborough’s statement recently on his 100th birthday, “If we save the
sea, we save our world”.
We return to GOMA, where we experiment with the alchemy of colour to complete a placebased colour palette with our foraged plants and water. Students will create various inks,
including Oak Gall ink, the standard ink used by Irish monks to transcribe manuscripts like
the Book of Kells.
Explore Brehon tree laws, plant-and-water place-based wisdom through nature, and the role
of water in the more-than-human world, river myths and our own creative imaginations.
Once the inks are made, students will use dip pens and brushes to write or paint. Students
may bring small jars to take home samples of the inks they create.
Prompts for discussion:
Our ancestors believed water was a portal to other worlds.
What worlds would you visit? How do you imagine our future rivers?
For more information, see https://bluewayartstudio.ie/future-ancestor/