Aloha From Hawaii

Paradise is a common word that is associated with my home state of Hawaii. It is a concept that is used to sell an experience. The images of Hawaii that grace postcards are magical landscapes that promise specific, unique experiences, and feelings when you do visit these famous sites. On one side of the postcards there would be an image of paradise and on the other side text that describes family members and friends' encounters of the Hawaiian paradise. The images of the Hawaiian paradise would spark the imagination and entice more visitors to the island.

The series “Aloha From Hawaii” consists of postcards from the 20th CE containing a variety of iconic Hawaii landscapes. Each postcard recounts a visitor's unique experience of their Hawaii vacation. The seemingly innocent words on these postcards have been etched into the scene, landscape, or the experience of the tourist. While the elegant writing may recount fleeting memories and experiences the writing creates indelible marks on the landscape. The etched words allude to the destruction of the landscape through tourism. These words become the footprints of the tourists that create gaps in these natural areas.

Postcard images of Hawaii sell the land of paradise and adventure. But humans' love for this promised land has literally loved the landscape to death through exploitation. The postcards innocently written with love have slowly destroyed the fragile paradise of Hawaii.