Using his work to critique and examine the relationship between the human and natural world, Ellingsen’s vast and varied portfolio reveals his dedication to being an environmental artist. From this portfolio, we have selected two projects to feature for Issue #4, Farewell Earth.
Alone Together is part of a trilogy of works that make up the project Solastalgia. Defined as the feeling of existential distress caused by environmental change, 'solastalgia' is a new concept linked to the feeling of nostalgia. In the digital self-portraits of Alone Together, Ellingsen stands at the brink of a barren world, only in the company of himself, creating an all-too-real vision of the near future.
One can’t help but feel that though time lurches forward, each moment that passes feels more fragile than the last. Looking into both the future and the past, in Life: As We’ve Known It, Ellingsen responds to the threat of extinction, working with the Beaty Biodiversity Museum to create a photographic archive of their species collection. Using a polaroid negative film-type which has ceased production, Ellingsen once again uses technical processes to enrich the narratives of his work. Through solarisation, the subjects lose their shadows and sit isolated out of real space. This dark, strange series mourns our living planet.
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