“Only poetry can cross between worlds, non-human, human, and the metaphysical.”
A world where culture, beliefs, and geographical borders are drawing lines of separation, poetry liberates the self by dissolving the sense of identity, serving as a language that is both inviting and warm.
Eco poetry is a form of self-expression that explores the beautiful relationship between nature and the human world. A powerhouse of possibilities, eco poetry spreads the message of harmony and balance by making people realise that eco consciousness is the key to a green future.
A wake-up call to humans to stop destroying the planet and begin preserving it, this genre bolsters the necessity of staying away from actions that disrupt the environment.
Himali Singh Soin, an Indian artist of modern times, explores themes that bring home the loss of identities, the interruption of nature’s rhythm and the epochal shifts where ecology has long been vigilant to human trespass.
This blog will help you explore more about the artist, Himali Singh Soin, poignant themes of loss and her interdisciplinary projects, motivated by her concern for the planet’s future.
Who is Himali Singh Soin?
In her childhood days, Himali Singh Soin saw nature closely with her sojourns to the Kanchenjunga to see her father, who was up in the mountains on an expedition. Her travels revealed nature’s infinite beauty with the sweeping vistas of the surrounding landscape.
Now a reputable Indian artist and writer, Himali’s life can be experienced via a plethora of her interdisciplinary work. Born in 1987 in New Delhi, she pursued her art training in London, and with the passage of time, mountains became her muse.
Exploring the stories of the lofty peaks of nature and sharing them with the world, eco poetry became an empowering outlet. The artist recalls how the discovery of the patterns of the “impenetrable sheet of stars” transfixed and moulded her creative visions.
Her journey reveals that nature is not simply an inspiration but also a timeless influencer, where self-expression flows through poetry, art and music. The sacred beauty of mountains is paramount in Indian culture, and her work explores the violation of that pious beauty and grandeur of Mount Kailasa, Nandadevi and Meru.
Himali Singh Soin’s interest in international biennials, solo shows, and her tours both within the country and abroad won her the global spotlight.
Artistic Themes Explored by Himali Singh Soin
Ecological Loss
Himali Singh Soin’s eco poetry makes the world familiar with the intensity of the ruinous actions of scientific interference and British colonialism, whose repercussions are long-term.
With a persistent fear that the “Arctic ice would descend into Britain and leave it a frozen wasteland,” the artist explores the possibilities and lingering paranoia that the outer world will one day invade the land of the colonialists, overruling them.
Nature of Time
Himali Singh Soin’s eco poetry reveals that the ice is a witness to the ecological damage imposed by mankind’s need to dominate and exert its control over nature. Her themes reveal that the supremacy asserted is an ongoing phenomenon that keeps repeating itself throughout generations.
Himali Singh Soin’s Environmental Narratives
Himali Singh Soin’s fictional cosmologies blend the metaphors of outer space (UFO sightings) and nature to help explore the relationship between the world of humans and the realms of non-human life. From text, performance, to poetry, animation and sound, her environmental narratives are an enriching combination of such artistic sources.
Himali Singh Soin’s We Are Opposite Like That (2017– Ongoing)
Himali Singh Soin’s We Are Opposite Like That II is an interdisciplinary film and an eco-narrative that is spoken from a non-human perspective about the melting of ice in the Northern and Southern poles of the planet.
Several media are a part and parcel of her stories, where the world is seen through the eyes of the melting glaciers. The ice, a futuristic alien personified by the artist herself, is seen wrapped in a metallic space blanket, fastened with a brooch of coral and turquoise beads brought from the Himalayas.
Himali Singh Soin’s Static Range
The Static Range, an art project by Himali Singh Soin, combines animation, letters, embroidery, a book and a performance installation to draw the attention towards growing ecological concerns.
This multi-disciplinary video blends poetry and music and is a commentary on the entanglement between science and the sacred Nanda Devi, where the former interferes with the latter. One can experience a bioremedic garden, which is a part of the Static Range tours, that serves as a powerful reminder to heal and contemplate in a world of nuclear culture.
When the Cold War era ushered in, the CIA and the Indian Intelligence Bureau planned to install a plutonium-powered spy device on the range to intercept Chinese nuclear missile data.
However, an unpredictable storm compelled those on the mission to declare the mission a failed attempt, particularly as the device went missing. The fallout could have consequences, and the resurfacing of the device might have polluted the water.
A chilling, critical and emotional commentary on man’s militarising of nature, this multi-disciplinary video reflects on the catastrophic consequences of espionage missions in high altitudes.
Himali Singh Soin’s Static Range also explores her personal stories, where a photograph of Nanda Devi taken by her mountaineer father is used as a national postage stamp. Therefore, Static Range not only navigates the future of nuclear landscapes but also the public and personal histories of her life.
Final Thoughts
Although Himali Singh Soin’s themes explore ecological loss, she has a hopeful outlook for the planet’s future. Her eco poetry and interdisciplinary projects are critical commentaries on colonialism and corporate greed, and aim to find shelter in a love that can bring a sweeping change in a world of oppressive regimes.
To her, poetry is a powerful medium, an open language for the contemporary world in contrast to the traditional academic or historical narratives. Whether it’s eco poetry or eco art, these resources can potentially shift the collective consciousness from absolute indifference to a state of awareness, towards a mission that promises better days and a greener planet!