March 6, 2015
Moai, Sitting for Portrait
In January of 2015 I spent two weeks photographing the Moai of Easter Island. This fulfilled a lifelong dream, one that started when I was 17 and read the book “Aku Aku” by Thor Heyerdahl. I became fascinated with the Moai and they have been on my mind and influenced my art for these many years.
As I traveled to Easter Island and tried to imagine what I would encounter, something interesting happened: I dreamt that I had invited the Moai to come and sit for a formal portrait.
When I awoke I thought “why not?”
I knew there would be challenges: the Moai are reserved, aloof and almost unapproachable. They had suffered greatly at the hands of outsiders and the question was: would they come to trust me?
Distance was the first hurdle to be overcome: the island is small by automobile standards, but when we are talking about the Moai who walk everywhere, traversing the island to get to my makeshift studio could be difficult. Then there was the Moai’s physical condition: many were incapacitated by war and the ravages of time and could not make the journey. And how would I accommodate the size of the Moai, with some towering 33 feet tall?
Facing these challenges and armed with nothing more than a dream and hope, I issued the invitations…but would they come?
Initially only a few came; the younger and less suspicious ones. But slowly, as word spread of their experience, others started to arrive.
Photographing the Moai created some interesting situations: one older Moai refused to allow me to photograph his face and turned his back on the camera. Another arrived with a hawk and insisted on having his portrait taken with the bird atop his head. Several Moai with bullet holes inflicted by outsiders insisted that I document those scars.
And there were tense moments, as two rival Moai came together face-to-face in the studio, but which ended well when they agreed to be photographed together. And there were touching moments as old friends were reunited after years of separation.
The Moai are quiet, stoic and could even been described as “stone-faced.” And it’s true, not once was I able to photograph a Moai smiling, but instead they have a dignified poise that transcends time.
What a wonderful way to describe this project! It is _almost_ as delightful as the images themselves!
Love the story and pictures! 🙂
I find gazing at your Moai portraits incredibly moving, and I can’t help but think how you must have felt intimacy with the statues and/or their makers while you were creating this series. Thank you for letting me feel that closeness once—but barely—removed.
Think your Moai trip was successful. Incorporating more tones.
Cole, Congrats on an original concept, and a new approach to photographing these iconic subjects, and for finding a way to avoid cliche shots. My favorite is #38, the threesome.
Sam
Memorable recording of awesome subjects.
Perhaps they were too stoned to move to your studio?
Cole, You have created an incredibly beautiful body of work. I am also moved by the way you describe the interaction between yourself and your subjects. This body of work really deserves to be offered in a book.
I am also gled to see your creativity taking you in a somewhat new direction.
Thanks for sharing!
I loved your description of this project! You have certainly achieved intimacy with these statues, and created a fine set of images which certainly avoids cliché. My favourite is #38…for the technique.
Cole – What a wonderful series. I have enjoyed the experience of seeing, through your eyes and heart, all three groups of Moai. These last ones however, are quite intimate. Thank you for sharing.
Nice work, Cole. Very creative. Must have been quite a challenge to get them to sit still though 🙂
Forgive me if I’ve missed it, but it would be interesting to know more about your trip; how you got to Easter Island, where you stayed, what else of interest you found there and so on.
Cole,
I am struggling with a proper response to these images. To say they are nice or wonderful does not give a good description for this body of work. First they are haunting because of the mystery behind these strange figures. But you have taken these giant objects and placed them in a light that is not common to their natural surrounding. You brought them inside to a studio environment. Creating a couple of these images would be an accomplishment, but you managed to do an entire portfolio of this subject with all the same lighting and background conditions. I am still scratching my head wondering how you manages the soft light and keeping a consistent background in an outdoor environment. Either you worked really hard on one day or showed up each day at the same time with similar weather conditions. When working with a two dimensional art such as a photograph you need to find the third dimension for a successful image, and you have found it with these. The spirit of the object. It has been one of my life long dreams to visit this area and walk among these giant figures. Nicely done Cole. John Doddato
Bravo, Cole. Great treatment of an interesting subject.
I am so glad I subscribe to your blog! To read about your insights is such a pleasure. What you’ve done here is all Cole Thompson. You’ve taken a subject that has been photographed thousands of times and presented it with a unique eye and creative approach. I’m so pleased you changed up the backgrounds. Helped keep each image fresher had you not. Well done!!!