+ SCULPTURE
Solastalgia (Pregnant Woman with Bow-legs & Pubic Mane)
Hand-sculpted plasticine clay, wool, brass, translucent film, living moss, & cork on reclaimed wood pedestal
10 x 17 x 9 in.
2011
The woman depicted in this small sculpture plants memorial flags for lost species, including the Golden Toad (Incilius periglenes) and the Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer).
Solastalgia is a neologism coined by Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht. As opposed to nostalgia — the melancholia experienced by individuals when separated by distance or time from their beloved home — solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting people while they are still directly connected to their home environment, when it changes around them. Habitat destruction, extinction or the effects of climate change often cause solastalgia. Is this something you have experienced?