Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape

Eighty-three years after Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, only theories remain, yet her legend survives in the many individuals still searching for evidence of what happened to her on that fateful day in 1937.

The work presented here is from the first phase of the Earhart project—a five-week expedition to the outer-reaches of the Northern Mariana and Marshall Islands, photographing the seascapes and landscapes specific to the “Japanese Capture” theory of Earhart's disappearance. It is a theory involving the forced landing of Earhart in fortified Japanese territory followed by her capture, imprisonment, and possible execution at the hands of their Imperial Navy.

This expedition is the culmination of over a year’s worth of research, fundraising, and planning. While this may only be the first stage—the idea is to present each stage as its own entity so as to give weight to each theory of Earhart’s demise.

The complete breadth of this project will involve many years and travel to multiple parts of the Central and South Pacific, photographing related land and sea of these remote regions. The Phoenix Islands, as an example, hold multiple theories to Earhart’s disappearance—including both the “Nikumaroro Theory,” and the “Orona Theory” where she is believed to have succumbed to the elements after landing on one of these deserted islands. The project will also include archival ephemera related to the planning and preparation of the flight, the flight itself, as well as the search following her disappearance. Scientific documents supporting the different theories will also be included, as well as other mixed-media inspired by some of these elements. The merging of multiple mediums in the work aligns it to the "Framing Vision" theme for CPF.

In photographing these remote regions, along with the incorporation of these added historical ephemera, Arnold will give visual expression to each of the theories and to tell the story surrounding Earhart’s disappearance.

© Matthew Arnold - 2021 EXHIBITION IMAGE: The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University
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2021 EXHIBITION IMAGE: The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: The Pacific, on the way to Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands | DRAWING: Earhart fuel consumption flight path, No. 1 | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Archival chart of Earhart’s path to Howland Island >>>The work presented is in both a gallery layout and in book form in order to show the various mediums used in the project in a cohesive manner.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: The edge of the jungle, Enedrik-Kan Island, Milli Atoll, Marshall Islands | >>> Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan were believed to have been forced to land their plane on Enedrik-Kan Island. Young boys hiding in the leaves on the edge of the jungle tell of seeing Earhart and Noonan climbing from their aircraft after their landing on the dry reef. Too afraid to reveal themselves they watch as Japanese Imperial Navy crewman land on the island and take Earhart and Noonan prisoner.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Site of discovered wheel-cover, believed to be from Earhart’s plane, Enedrik-Kan Island, Milli Atoll, Marshall Islands | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Naval message “Earhart unreported Howland ...” | >>> A flat, circular shaped piece of aluminum was found on this spot by Dick Spink, a high school teacher and entrepreneur from Bow, Washington. His interest in the Earhart disappearance began after a business trip to the Marshall Islands where he heard the many accounts by local Marshallese of Earhart’s landing and final demise at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Navy.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Arc formed by water on reef, Enedrik-Kan Island, Milli Atoll, Marshall Islands | >>> If Earhart had been forced to land by either a dwindling fuel supply or Japanese Imperial Navy warplanes, she would potentially have found quite a rocky surface of reef at low tide.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Wave, on the way to Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands | DRAWING: Earhart search grid over ocean | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Naval message “Intercepts of ragged transmission indicate possibility Earhart plane still afloat ...”

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Site of dock where Earhart was presumed photographed after being captured by the Japanese military, Jabor Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Photograph purported to be Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan standing on dock, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands | >>> A photograph (left) recently released to the world is believed to have been taken on a dock on the site of this dock today. The photograph is said to portray Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan after having been transported to Jaluit Island from Enedrik-Kan Island. Their aircraft can be seen in the background of the photograph being towed into port behind the Japanese cargo ship, Koshu Maru.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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CONSTRUCTION (Left): Sea, No. 1 (0° 48′ 24″ N, 176° 36′ 59″ W) Sea, No. 2 (0°11′41″N 176°28′46″W) Sea, No. 3 (4.68°S 174.517°W) Sea, No. 4 (3°36′S 174°07′W) Galvanized steel CONSTRUCTION (Right): Island Cell cast acrylic, sand 2021 EXHIBITION IMAGE: The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University, December 2020-May 2021. >>> Amelia Earhart disappeared on the third leg from the last of her 32-leg journey around the world—attempting to fly to Howland Island—a tiny deserted patch of scrub land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She was to refuel on Howland with the assistance of the crew from the waiting United States Coast Guard cutter, Itasca. Howland Island, like many of the volcanic islands of the Pacific, just barely reveals itself above the waves while a mountain of land rests below the deep sea.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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CONSTRUCTION: Search Grid, No. 2 Cell cast acrylic 2021 EXHIBITION IMAGE: The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University, December 2020-May 2021. >>> Amelia Earhart disappeared over the vast and deep Pacific Ocean. To attempt to find her and her plane then, as well as only the plane wreckage now, a search grid would be developed for both the most efficient and effective means of success. The science and methodology to a grid of this sort is in fact a beautiful visual structure to be explored. Installation image of the first solo exhibition of phase one of the project is currently on view at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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CONSTRUCTION: Inverted Bathymetric Grid Black walnut wood 2021 EXHIBITION IMAGE: The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University, December 2020-May 2021.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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CONSTRUCTION: Earhart fuel consumption flight paths Steel 2021 EXHIBITION IMAGE: The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University, December 2020-May 2021.

© Matthew Arnold - PHOTOGRAPH: Reef, Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands
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PHOTOGRAPH: Reef, Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Japanese pillbox dislodged by the sea, Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands | >>> During the Second World War, many islands in the Central Pacific became targets of Allied attacks. The U.S. Central Pacific Campaign began with the Gilbert Islands, south of the Mandated Islands—U.S. forces conquered the Gilberts in November 1943. Next was Operation Flintlock, a plan to capture the Marshall Islands.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Japanese built seawall, Aineman Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands | >>> The Japanese withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933 and began transforming the Mandated Islands into military bases. Non-Japanese, including Christian missionaries, were kept from the islands as naval and air bases—meant to threaten shipping lanes between Australia and Hawaii—were constructed.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: American bomb crater in jungle, Wotje Island, Wotje Atoll, Marshall Islands | >>> The Marshall Islands, east of the Caroline Islands in the western Pacific Ocean, had been in Japanese hands since World War I. Occupied by the Japanese in 1914, they were made part of the “Japanese Mandated Islands” as determined by the League of Nations.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Japanese pillbox on reef, Imiej Island, Jaluit Atoll | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Drawing of Japanese bunker | >>> The Japanese withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933 and began transforming the Mandated Islands into military bases. Non-Japanese, including Christian missionaries, were kept from the islands as naval and air bases—meant to threaten shipping lanes between Australia and Hawaii—were constructed.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Jungle, Aineman Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Drawing of Earhart search grid | >>> The United States Navy called off the search for Amelia Earhart on July 18, 1937—sixteen days after she disappeared in the Pacific on July 2, 1937.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Coconut husks left behind from the harvesting of copra, Knox Atoll, Marshall Islands | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Letter from Nina Paxton to Time Magazine | >>> During the US Navy’s search for Earhart, a woman by the name of Nina Paxton claimed to have heard Amelia on the radio, “On July 3rd, 1937 at 2:20 PM EST, I picked up Amelia Earhart’s distress signal by short wave”. She said that Earhart had said they were on a small island believed to be part of Knox Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH (Left): Amelia Earhart’s possible burial site, Saipan Island, Northern Mariana Islands | PHOTOGRAPH (Right):Tinian Island, Northern Mariana Islands | >>> The most accepted theory of Amelia Earhart’s death in the “Japanese Capture” theory surmises that she died of dysentery while being held in the prison on Saipan, and was subsequently buried on this site by the Japanese in an unmarked grave. >>> Another theory of Amelia Earhart’s demise is that she and Fred Noonan were taken to Tinian Island after having been convicted of being spies for the Allies and were summarily executed.

© Matthew Arnold - Image from the Longing for Amelia—The Historical and Mythological Landscape photography project
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PHOTOGRAPH: Storm, Marshall Islands | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Press Telegram “Amelia Earhart’s flight around the world, terminated | ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT: Photograph of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan

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