Solastalgia

2019

Kate Butler

Bungendore, Australia

90 x 57 x 9 centimeters

recycled porcelain, sensa, smalti on hand-formed substrate

not for sale

Solastalgia was inspired by my observations of the changing environment around me.  It is also a response to the writing of philosopher Glenn Albrecht on ecological distress.

A veiled landscape that is mourning the environmental destruction and loss caused by the climate emergency.  Remnants of what was are patched together with what remains. The veil is a nod to funeral attire worn in the 1950s, the time when carbon emissions started to rapidly increase.

Using repeated simple cuts to create complexity, I aim to exploit the vitality of matter and unique dimensionality of mosaics where they are both surface and form. Solastalgia is part of my current exploration of our relationship with the natural world.