40" x 60"
Around the beginning of the pandemic, I learned of the word "solastalgia", a term coined by environmentalist Glenn Albrecht meant to describe the homesickness one feels while still at home. This relatively new word was meant to capture the essence of emotions we feel when our homes and environment are changing around us, as the result of climate change. As anything changes, we often look to find solace in nostalgia. While considering the slow, almost invisible, changes happening around us, I began constructing landscapes to escape into within my apartment. As the sun would shine its way across my living room each morning, I would use light and reflective materials, like an emergency blanket, to create imagined landscapes. I found both struggle and solace imagining the potential futures we could create, often thinking about the human relationship with the land and the complexities around the fragility and strength of the Earth. A photograph of each rendered landscape became a record of a moment in time. When the sun disappeared, the magic went away too. I look to create images that evoke awe, both positive and negative, as we navigate a changing world and strive to find hope in potential futures.