GREETINGS from The STATE of ALOHA addresses the profound impact of tourism and colonialism that has prevailed in the self-proclaimed “Aloha State” since the Kingdom was violently overthrown and annexed to the United States in 1893.
The project focusses on stereotypes and visual tropes embedded in pop culture images of Hawaiʻi and takes a critical look at tourism culture from the perspective of a long-time resident who straddles the line between insider and outsider. By placing my contemporary images in conversation with vintage postcards and ephemera I create a visual dialogue between past and present that exposes the facade of the tourism industry in Hawaiʻi and how it might be a surrogate for other places that suffer under the effects of mass tourism and colonial attitudes.
I spend time with my camera in popular tourist areas to explore the physical environment and how visitors interact with the places they visit and discovered that vintage postcard images often resemble the scenes I photograph. Photographic portrayals of the deposed monarchy and unique aspects of the Hawaiian culture were appropriated to promote the islands as an exotic travel destination. Over time little has changed—a nuanced ancient culture, the place, and its people, are often commodified and reduced to caricatures. What’s more, the handwritten postcard messages can be insightful and ironically, often speak to issues still relevant today. This has led me to actively research the tourism industry from a variety of perspectives and sources including digitized newspaper archives and the vintage ephemera market. The transactional nature of tourism is highlighted by the former and the perception of place by the latter.
GREETINGS from The STATE of ALOHA, when viewed in its entirety, highlights what little has changed in over a century of the promotion of Hawaiʻi as a tourist destination. The project asks viewers to reconsider their relationship to the places they visit and their role within the tourism industry. By shifting from passive consumption of the advertised version of a place toward culturally sensitive engagement, visitors can become advocates for a more respectful and sustainable way of interacting with the world—whether in Hawaiʻi or elsewhere.