Filipino playwright, novelist and writer Dean Francis Alfar lead MCAD’s four-hour Worldmaking through Speculative Fiction workshop last November 16  that had both beginners and published writers focusing on the unusual genre of speculative fiction. The group worked on the prompts given by Mr. Alfar, who is an advocate for ‘spec fic’ which is a growing field in the Philippines.

As the title of the workshop showed, having an emphasis on setting and milieus made this particular session special. With these building blocks, examples from science fiction, fantasy, and horror, among others were explored,  giving participants the opportunity to fashion history and geography of a place, including its customs, politics, economic realities, and magic. 

After sharing and a critique, Mr. Alfar and the participants explored the worlds created by Laurent Grasso and Susan Treister in the exhibition What Lies Within: Centre of the Centre.

MCAD’s Learning and Public Program aims to provide entry points and opportunities to be familiar with, study and interact with contemporary culture.