Solastalgia Series
2016 – 2021
Statement
By drawing inspiration from the work of individual scientists, discoverers, authors and mathematicians, the artist exposes connections between a myriad of life forms – from the microscopic to the immense. Her main focus is on environmental aesthetics and the mathematical sublime (an aesthetic concept first articulated by Immanuel Kant). She sees environmental aesthetics as something that not only encompasses natural territories, but as also extending to human interaction with the natural realm. The work explores the nature of a boundless, formless universe that transcends the limits of reason.
Wildenboer uses a combination of analogue and digital processes to create sculptural paper constructions which explores phenomena such as temporality, fractal geometry and the interconnectedness of all living things and draws from different academic disciplines such as science, mathematics, philosophy and psychology to create structures that draw emphasis to our understanding of experience as mediated through text or language and our understanding of the abstract terms of science through the use of imagery and metaphor.
The title of the series is derived from a term coined by the environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht. The word ‘solastalgia’ is formed by the Latin word solacium and the Greek root –algia meaning respectively comfort and grief. It’s used to describe a kind of psychological distress and homesickness you have when you are still at home but your environment has changed in ways you find distressing.