‘Āina
My photographic series ‘Āina (life of the land) reveals the indelible fingerprints left on Hawaii’s sacred landscapes by both human and natural forces. They tell of
As the series progressed, I quickly recognized the personal metaphors embedded in the work. The images became a powerful introspective reflection of years of spousal abuse that left their own emotional scars on me. Hawaiians speak about hulihia, to be turned upside down. It was in the process of being turned upside that I escaped from the abuse and found who I am. I began to use the internal sensitivity that protected me during the abuse by channeling it towards what I externally witnessed in the land. This body of aerial photographs became a very personal way for me to heal while advocating for the marred land, the ‘āina .
