SOLUTIO
"Solutio" was presented in September 2024 at the exhibition "La advocación de los metales" at Olivares Group Gallery in Buenos Aires. The works in this series originate from research conducted during the GlogauAir Berlin 2024 Residency.
During this residency, Isabel began developing this series, in which she reflects on the ever-evolving complexity of female identity. She explores the interaction between the unique structure of the female brain, societal norms, and the transformative impact of technology. Through a self-referential approach, she creates a body of work that not only reflects her personal experiences but also resonates with the collective consciousness of women today.
The concept of identity—and what truly defines an individual’s essence—is central to this exploration. In an era where technological advances and social changes are redefining our understanding of the “self,” it is crucial to analyze how these forces influence the construction of the female psyche. Through her work, Englebert challenges traditional roles and expectations imposed on women while highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities emerging in an era of rapid technological change.
INCORPORATING METAL
The works presented here are various experiments within the series, integrating metal and the concept of alchemy.
Incorporating metallic elements into her work allows the artist to explore themes of transformation and malleability. Just as metal can be shaped, welded, and transformed, personal identity can also be molded and reshaped by experiences and social influences. The use of metal alongside fabric symbolizes both the strength and resilience of the female spirit, as well as the ongoing process of identity formation.
The transformative nature of metal also connects with the concept of alchemy, a historical practice aimed at purification and refinement. Alchemy sought to turn base materials into gold, symbolizing a process of spiritual and personal perfection.
With its rich symbolism and transformative goals, alchemy serves as a powerful metaphor for identity development. In his work Psychology and Alchemy (1944), Carl Jung interpreted alchemy not just as a proto-scientific or mystical practice but also as a profound metaphor for the psychological process of transformation and personal growth. This process involves stages such as calcination (breaking down the old self), dissolution (letting go of previous forms), and conjunction (integrating new knowledge). These phases mirror the stages of personal growth and the continuous reconfiguration of identity.
As part of her career, Englebert designed unique jewelry pieces. The process of designing and creating jewelry allowed her to engage intimately with the transformative properties of metal, crafting pieces that symbolize both personal and collective identity. This hands-on approach adds a tangible and personal dimension to the exploration of identity, emphasizing themes of strength, resilience, and transformation.
This series is composed of the following works:
THREADS OF IDENTITY
Video
4:13 s
"There is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind"
Virginia Wolf
Throughout the series, the artist uses her own worn clothing as the primary medium, embedding each piece with a deeply personal and intimate narrative. These garments, imprinted with the traces of her lived experiences, serve as a metaphor for the layers of social conditioning and personal identity that shape the female experience. By manipulating, and reassembling these materials, she seeks to craft a visual language that expresses the fluidity and complexity of the female psyche.
In this video, she deconstructs these garments she once wore while reflecting on feminine identity. Drawing from Virginia Woolf’s quote, she parallels the act of unsewing with her own emotional experience as a woman. At times, the stitches hide like the roots of societal mandates, making them difficult to discern; sometimes the stitching is so tight it leaves marks on her hands, and at others, frustration leads her to tear through the seams.
She incorporates recordings of her own brainwaves to convey unspoken thoughts and sensations. This element provides an intimate glimpse into her mind, adding depth to the narrative and allowing viewers to engage with the invisible and internal aspects of identity and thought processes.
CONJUNCTION
Fabric, metal
150 x 100 cm
In "Conjunction", the artist explores the metaphor of self-construction through identity, using different parts of her dismantled garments to design a new morphology. The various textures, layers, and overlaps within the composition symbolize the multiple facets and depths of identity.
In this work, the artist incorporates an element and process she has previously used in another series: the analysis and recording of her brain waves. Using a device that measures brain waves, she recorded her own while unsewing her garments. This action is inspired by Virginia Woolf and her quote: "No lock, no bolt, no barrier can imprison the freedom of my mind." By unsewing her clothes, the artist seeks to symbolize the deconstruction of an identity shaped by societal mandates, while simultaneously reflecting on the nature of identity itself.
The artist's brain waves were incorporated into the piece in golden metal to represent her unexpressed thoughts and sensations. This element offers an intimate glimpse into her mind, while the metal, combined with fabric, symbolizes the strength and resilience of the female spirit.
For Carl Jung, conjunction in alchemy held profound psychological and symbolic meaning. In the context of his interpretation of alchemy as a metaphor for the process of individuation, conjunction represents the union of opposites and the integration of different aspects of the psyche.
Conjunction marks a key point in the individuation process, which is the path toward personal realization and wholeness. Psychologically, it involves the integration of opposites within the self, such as the conscious ego with the unconscious, or the integration of the shadow (repressed aspects of the self) with the conscious identity. This stage is seen as a step toward wholeness and inner balance.
"Conjunction" in the exhibition "La advocación de los metales" at the Olivares Group Gallery, Buenos Aires, September 2024.
SOLUTIO
Fabric, metal
70 x 100 cm
This work, in which the different parts of the garment are shown in an advanced state of disassembly, refers to the stage of Dissolution in alchemy.
According to Carl Jung, dissolution is the stage in which the rigid structure of the ego begins to decompose. Psychologically, this refers to the breaking down of the defenses of the conscious self and preconceived ideas, allowing the material of the unconscious to emerge. It is a process in which old ways of being and thinking are "dissolved," paving the way for transformation. During dissolution, unconscious contents that have been repressed or ignored may come to the surface. This can include emotions, desires, or fears that the individual has not confronted. Dissolution involves immersing oneself in this unconscious material, which can be a chaotic or confusing experience, but it is necessary for the eventual integration and renewal of the self.
Dissolution can be seen as a stage of necessary chaos for creation. Just as in nature, where decomposition allows for regeneration, in Jungian psychology, this process of decomposition and dissolution is a precursor to renewal and the reconfiguration of the self. It is an essential step to leave behind the old and prepare the ground for conjunction, which is the integration of new aspects of being.
"Solutio" in the exhibition "La advocación de los metales" at the Olivares Group Gallery, Buenos Aires, September 2024.
TRANSMUTATION 1
Fabric, metal
70 x 100 cm
In the process of transmutation, Jung identified stages of purification and transformation that correspond to alchemical operations. These stages include calcination, dissolution, conjunction, and others, which involve the destruction of old psychic structures and the integration of new content, leading to greater consciousness and inner balance.
In this work, the artist shows the different stages of disassembling one of her garments. We can see how the woven fabric quickly loses its shape until it reaches the minimal unit of the weave, which is the thread. This makes an allegory to the minimal unit of identity, which is our genetic code, and to the minimal unit of programming, which is 0 and 1. In the final stage, those threads that were detached as the garment was unraveled, are rejoined to form thicker threads. These threads are woven into a loom along with golden thread to form a pattern derived from the artist's DNA sequence translated into binary code.
With this action, the artist seeks to reflect on a concept she has been working on in other series: the dialogue between technology and science. She incorporates the loom technique, referencing its relationship to the beginning of programming. In the 1830s, Ada Lovelace collaborated in the design of the first computer, called the Analytical Engine. She was inspired by the functioning of the Jacquard loom, a loom that automated the most complex patterns in the production of brocades using perforated cards, based on binary code. In this way, the Analytical Engine and the first computers designed a century later used this type of cards. Through this, the artist aims to highlight the role of women in that development, personified by Ada Lovelace, the first female programmer.
Process
Translation of the artist's DNA sequencing into binary code. (0 = white, 1 = black)
TRANSMUTATION 2
Photos printed on film strip
29,7 x 21 cm
"Solutio" alongside "Transmutation 2" in the exhibition "La advocación de los metales" at Olivares Group Gallery, Buenos Aires, September 2024.
MANTRAPOIESIS
Fabric
Artist´s DNA
Audio System
Listen to an audio example
In this work, the artist explores contemporary self-construction of identity, interweaving the biological with the constructed. She weaves her own genetic code, translated into binary language, in a symbolic and political act of self-affirmation: she takes control of her genetic information and reconstructs it through the ancestral gesture of weaving. Inspired by the Jacquard loom —a precursor to computing—, the action becomes a metaphor for the current possibilities of self-determination.
The original garments unravel into strips, losing their initial form, just as rigid identities today dissolve into more fluid constructions. This dissolution allows for a conscious reconstruction of the self, where the resulting pattern is not merely a translation of DNA but its deliberate rewriting.
The work is completed with a video in which the artist weaves guided by her own voice, reciting her genetic code translated into black and white. This binary mantra transforms the space into a techno-artistic ritual, suggesting that, in the digital age, identity can be reduced to its basic elements and then reconstructed according to one’s own creative will.
Mantrapoiesis (detail)
Process
DISSOLVO
Threads, paper
25 x 33 cm
In this work, the threads that once held and shaped the garment are transformed into asemic writing. Freed from their disciplinary function,
they shift from elements of restraint to independent marks that embody the dissolution of control structures and the potential for freedom.
Each thread, once a form of social containment, now creates a visual poetrythat alludes to the alchemical stage of dissolution described by Jung, where the rigidities of the ego break down to give rise to new possibilities of being.
Like asemic writing, these threads suggest communication without imposed meaning and present identity as something both constructed and capable of being liberated from systems of control. In dialogue with Virginia Woolf’s ideas on mental freedom, the work represents thoughts freed from social normativity and cultural constraints.
Therefore, the “random” composition becomes a document of liberation, a map of control structures, a record of the passage between constraint and freedom, norm and authenticity, the imposed and the chosen.
Disolvo 1 (detail)
SYMPHONY FOR MY BEING
Artist’s DNA
Music box
Audio
20 × 4 cm
Our body is written with an alphabet of four letters (A, T, C, and G), arranged like a precise recipe —a molecular choreography that gives life. Like a symphony, DNA is made of rhythms and repetitions. Music is composed of notes that, when joined together, create melodies and symphonies. Just like DNA, a single note means nothing on its own, but in combination with others, it forms soundscapes that move us and define our culture.
In this work, the artist designed a translation system that converts her genetic sequencing into music, turning the invisible code of her body into a tangible melody. Just as musicians read a score to bring a composition to life, she transforms her own being into a sonic score.
The music box becomes an intimate instrument: with each turn, her biology sings. Transforming DNA into music becomes a way to make the invisible audible —to reveal the hidden harmony that lives within us.
DNA-to-chords translation with octaves