In ‘Solastalgia’, I present a performance using wearable sculptures.
The Burren landscape provides a context to respond to the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
Deer, symbolic creatures whose antlers represent growth and spirituality are now extinct from the karst limestone of the Burren Highlands. Ironically, antlers grown to protect and defend, failed to ensure the deer’s continuity in this unique landscape. ‘Solastalgia’ depicts the relationship between the hunter and the deer and considers morphing human form and deer, to highlight the impact of man on the environment and indigenous species. It represents the idea of a new entity-creation, an environmentally conscious ‘breed’ formed from used materials. Orange references the deer’s inability to view this colour, while drone imagery from the Burren is printed on the hunter’s uniform. The forms created, blur the lines between species, hybrids and dysmorphia with a focus on consumption and climate change.
