DMC-FX7
ƒ/2.8
5.8 mm
1/40
100

At Stanford this morning.

Jim Mason was the director of this project. During his undergrad studies, he spent a fair bit of time studying violence in the tribes living along the Sepik river in Papua New Guinea. He came to know a number of wonderful artists, and brought ten master carvers to Stanford to perform their craft for a permanent installation across the street from the Terman Engineering building.

Jim inspired us to visit this magical land, home to 1000 of the world’s 6000 languages. Below are some photos from their independence celebration and beauty contest.

7 responses to “Ethereal Explorers”

  1. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    Hiri Moale Festival Welcoming PartyLanding PartyDrum Club

    Reply
  2. Automatt Avatar
    Automatt

    Napoleon Chagnon’s work in the rainforest provides a fascinating study of of an ancient, violent culture.

    Reply
  3. tarotastic Avatar
    tarotastic

    Have you been to PNG? I’m going next year and I’m excited!! By GF’s family live there. (Just seen your PNG set above. So my question is answered!!)

    Saw this article and thought of you!! You’re probably working on it!!

    graphics.stanford.edu/papers/lfcamera/

    Reply
  4. gdsanders Avatar
    gdsanders

    My grandfather served in New Guinea in WWII and had some wonderful stories and photos of the area. As a gunner on a B-25 bomber, he had to fly over the central mountain range many times and related how harrowing those flights were due to the rugged terrain and size of the mountains (higher than the Rockies). I’ve got to find time to scan and post some of the images from his New Guinea WWII scrapbook.

    An amazing place that I want to visit someday.

    Reply
  5. boring fact Avatar
    boring fact

    an awesome thought provoking image and commentary..(pity the tables weren’t carved as well), thanks for this share:)

    Reply
  6. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    automatt: very interesting… an orchard of what scale?

    taro: with better algorithms, we should be able to have digital cameras without lenses. The focal plane would be derived after the fact in software. This could also lead to some amazing DOF composites.

    Sol: poles and drums…. the tables are a stark contrast, like the relatively recent introduction of the metal axe into their stone age culture.

    Speaking of drums, the large slit gong drums you see on the ground are played during celebrations, ritual occasions in the spirit houses, and to communicate between villages with an elaborate percussive language.

    The carved figures are nature spirits and abstractions of totemic plants and animals from the clan of the artist.

    “These posts are our culture, something from our spirit houses… We leave these posts in the hands of America”
    – Membor Apokiom, Kwoma tribe, Papua New Guinea (at Stanford)

    Reply
  7. zenera Avatar
    zenera

    So interesting, I saw some previous sculptures from their 1995(?) visit to Stanford when I was there a few years ago.

    Reply

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