9° from 90° marks a precise distance from the North Pole—a place of deep intimacy where quiet and wonder meet.

Description

This December, I return to SOIL Gallery with 9° from 90°, a project shaped by my 2023 journey to the Svalbard Archipelago entitled To The North Pole and Back. At just 9° from the North Pole (90°), I felt a wonder I had never imagined —an encounter with silence, scale, and light that felt both distant and intimate. This exhibition offers a momentary immersion in that Arctic stillness. This exhibition offers a momentary immersion in that Arctic stillness.

At its center is the Laser Plane, a technology I developed with optical engineer Ed Mannery to reveal the faint traces we leave behind. Visitors are invited to have their own ioleogram™ taken within this field of light. Large Arctic landscapes, small photographic works, and a video–sound installation made with support from Marcell Marias come together as quiet reflections on memory, presence, and the human footprints etched upon this fragile environment. This project is supported in part by the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and by generous Kickstarter backers.

Iole Alessandrini is an Italian-American, Seattle-based artist and architect working with light, technology, and spatial installation. A SOIL member since 2009, she is a Betty Bowen Award recipient, Artist Trust Fellow, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and 4Culture grant recipient, and Rockefeller Media Arts nominee. She teaches in the Fine Arts Department at Bellevue College. Her projects in the U.S. and abroad include museum exhibitions and site-specific installations, including The Raven and The Light at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.