UCC Arts student Rivka Salomé presents at Harvard Divinity School’s International Conference

19 May 2025

• BA Folklore and Religions and Global Diversity student addressed the transdisciplinary conference Spirituality and the Arts at Harvard.

University College Cork student Rebecca Desbordes, alias Rivka Salomé, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Folklore and Religions and Global Diversity, recently addressed the transdisciplinary conference Spirituality and the Arts, hosted by Harvard’s Programme for the Evolution of Spirituality.

The conference brought together scholars, practitioners, artists, and performers to explore the evolving relationship between alternative spiritualities and creative expression.

Rivka was invited to present her visual-poetic project ‘The Bright Night of the Soul’, a deeply personal series of printed illustrations and poetry, inspired by the likes of William Blake’s Mariage of Heaven and Hell or Carl Jung’s Red Book. She delivered an artist's talk reflecting on the work’s inspiration and symbolism, which draws from a transformative period in her life, where she travelled to intentional communities, eco-villages, took part in various spiritual courses and studied permaculture design.

“I was inspired and honoured then, to share my artwork, The Bright Night of the Soul, which speaks of a vulnerable phase of my life where I was discovering the darkness and the light within me,” Rivka said. “It was an effort to honour both, and to understand what honouring the dark may mean - viscerally, psychologically and politically.”

Her work resonated with the conference’s core themes, which included the ways emerging, alternative, marginalised and Indigenous spiritualities are expressed through the visual, musical, performing, and literary arts. The event also examined how these creative practices intersect with broader social concerns like power, colonial histories, and ecological change.

Rivka’s artistic style weaves together Visionary and Symbolic Art, folk traditions, transpersonal psychology, and poetry. Her creative practice, much like her academic path, reflects a deep interest in the intersections of myth, spirit, and society.

Originally trained in Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Rivka came to UCC to deepen her understanding of the cultural and spiritual frameworks behind storytelling, symbolism, and belief. She intends to focus her research and fieldwork on how intentional communities, civil society governance and eco-spiritualities could help to shift our current capitalist and consumerist society towards a system that honours life, community, and the more-than-human world.

“I chose to study Folklore and Religions at UCC because it was the only undergraduate course I found which combined all my (rather niche) interests: I could study folklore, combined with the study of religions, and I could study religions, from a very expansive and diverse selection of courses. Whereas most university courses focus on Abrahamic religions and often approach the subject through a theological lens, UCC’s unique course explored themes such as as Indigenous Sustainability, psychedelic and mystical experiences, eco-cosmologies, ufo-religions or neo-paganism which I found fascinating. In fact, I was watching videos from a lecturer, Dr Jenny Butler who researches Western Esotericism and Paganism, and this is how I found out about UCC.”

“I had only applied to UCC and was very anxious therefore to get in. I also fell in love with the campus, an old arboretum and quarry, with the river passing through it and the beautiful architecture. I was also completely amazed by the community garden initiative and really wanted to get involved there. It really felt like the right parameters for me to go back to studying, to compromise to live in the city again, and I am so grateful this was made possible and to be so welcomed from the Mature Student Office” she said.

Outside the classroom, Rivka is also active in the UCC Office of Sustainability and Climate Action and serves as a Representative of the UCC Community Garden. She regularly helps organise events that blend ecology, folklore, and oral traditions - bringing together students and community members in creative, grounded ways.

Studying Bachelor of Arts (CK101) at UCC

The Bachelor of Arts at UCC gives students the chance to explore different subjects, develop critical thinking, clear communication, and a deeper understanding of society — skills that are valuable across many fields and careers. Learn more