Through a striking aesthetic coupled with rigorous transdisciplinary research, Lament (2024) delves into overlooked stories and post-wildfire ecologies. It considers wildfires beyond the spectacular moment and rather in their less-spoken-about aftermath, where soil, communities and ecosystems are exposed to both erosion and regeneration. Lament reflects on the ecological roles of wildfires, but also the anthropogenic shifts in the so-called “fire regimes” that lead to extreme wildfire events.

The project belongs to my ongoing research on more-than-human perspectives on death in times of eco-disruption. Lament makes space for the contemplation of death as an ecology, and harnesses solastalgia and ecological grief as artistic and epistemological tools for the times to come.

The installation is conceived as a more-than-human death-bed. On the immaculate floor there are heaps of soil and ash and a hundred glass sculptures hang low from the ceiling. The sculptures host burnt soil, moss and charcoal which I collected after the 2022 wildfire on the Karst Plateau (IT/SI). I treated the soil with bioremediation methods based on a particular species of moss adapted to grow on burnt soil. The tiny ecosystems in the glass sculpture will develop during the exhibition and invite the viewers to notice and appreciate their slow becoming. The installation can host the performance and remain in view afterwards, or exhibited separately.

As a 45-minute long performance, Lament features a solo performer, cello and live electronics. With crawling and sliding movements, I become a creature of the soil who interacts with the dense yet lyrical musical score, the soil on the floor and the hanging sculptures. The setting transforms as I crawl and slide on stage, smearing soil and charcoal powder around. At the start of the performance, the setting is luminous and immaculate. At the end, it is violent and expressionist. The performance’s high dynamics are meant to open up an adequate emotional space.

The community engagement programme reworks elements of sensory mapping and co-creating to make space for emotions and stories linked to the trauma of an extreme wildfire event. The program was realised with the community members of Santa Comba Dão (PT) a municipality affected by the extreme wildfires of 2017. It resulted in the “Resilient scars map,” a canvas of local communal memory that tells stories of communities’ remembrance and resilience. Through co-creation and the attentive contemplation of eco-grief, it fosters resilience and healing.