My work
My work is influenced by a lot of themes and topics. Animals and nature are the most important of all. Growing up in the Alps in France and living surrounded by cats, other animals and forest, they all obviously became a huge part of me. But as I grew up and studied, many other subjets intregrated my work : queer and women's rights, solarpunk political and artistic movement, alternative habitats and natural ecodesign, crafts, low technologies... These all play a part in my creations and the messages I have to share through them.
With my artist name Étincelle ("spark" in french), the theme of light also gained a lot of signification in my life, and appeared more and more in my creations.
Solarpunk
Solarpunk is a political and artistic movement. The term was born in 2008 on internet. This movement envisions how the future might look if we lived in harmony with nature in a sustainable, egalitarian and modern world.
Solarpunk is based on our existing world. It is a first idea and solution to capitalism, to imagine good ways to live with other living beings and the environment, in different system and society.
The "punk" element in solarpunk refers to the movement optimistic takes on the future despite our growing pessimism and apathy. It calls for a radical societal change and abandonment of current capitalism markets and infrastructures. This movement and its ideas are all about hope and resilience, it is a way to fight against a horrible future.
In solarpunk, modernity and technologies aren't against nature or inexistant : they coexist, they're present and are actually used for a better world. Green technologies, repairable, reusable elements built to last... These technologies help us reconnect with the world, instead of creating a rift between humanity and nature.
I studied solarpunk during my master's degree while writing my thesis. This movement and its ideas deeply resonated with me and inspired me. This is why I continue studying and explorating it, and it's a cause I'm willing to fight for. I share messages to people via my creations, and I hope they can inspire people and make this movement more popular, for the future of our world, all living beings and humanity.
Youtube video explaining what is solarpunk by Andrewism, an Afro-Trinidanian solarpunk anarchist, artist and writer. Andrewism talks about solarpunk a lot in his videos, as well as many art, political and societal topics.
More links on Solarpunk
✦ Solarpunk: Refuturing our Imagination for an Ecological Transformation, article by Spencer Scott, November 27, 2023, One Earth
✦ What is solarpunk and can it help save the planet ?, article by Nicolas K. Smith, August 3rd, 2021, BBC ✦ We need a library economy, video by Andrewism, October 5, 2022
Themes and inspirations
My cats, Citrouille and Rourou ♥
I grew up with cats and currently live with two that I love. Cats and animals in general have always been a huge source of passion and inspiration to me, and they give me a lot of ideas to create by being silly, cute and chaotic ! Growing up in the mountains (Vercors, Alps) close to nature and forest influenced and fed my love for the environment a lot.
The theme of light, sparks and fire are a big part of my world as well. I spent my whole teen years with the nickname Étincelle ("spark" in french) while playing to games and talking to people online. Over time it gained significance and became a big part of my work. You can see it integrated in my creations a lot as I think it is pleasing aesthetically, but also a meaningful theme related to hope.
Main themes in my work
nature ✦ animals ✦ cats ✦ solarpunk ✦ horses ✦ lesbian ✦ queer and LGBT+ ✦ fantasy ✦ diversity ✦ legends