Viewers look into the eyes of the person in the portrait, realizing that individual touched that piece of paper and it’s the only one that is ever going to exist. The resulting physical artwork serves as a collaborative artifact of our encounter. 

The collective painted line becomes a metaphor for the human journey, and the individual lines themselves offer a glimpse into the psyche of both unique and similar cultural perspectives from region to region.  Already multiple people from Central America have incorporated plant life into their paintings, two people from different continents have painted a line depicting local mountain ranges and three people on three different continents have incorporated faces.

In addition to the painted lines, the portraits themselves tell a shared story that many groups are facing. By showcasing indigenous, tribal and traditional communities across the globe, the project highlights many cultural practices on the verge of extinction.  Modernization and technology have caused children to lose interest in embracing their heritage, languages are dying, indigenous groups are increasingly becoming displaced as they fight the worst effects of climate change. Communities are losing their traditional ways. Finding a balance between cultural preservation and self sustainability in a globalizing economy is essential.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Quest of Sages is a multidisciplinary project inspired by my real life journey to photograph one person from every country in the world.

Each person photographed for the project is asked to paint a line
across a piece of blank paper. 

Their portrait is later printed on top of their painting. 

Once all 197 countries are completed, the images will be displayed by placing the portraits next to each other and connecting the line segments together, ultimately creating one unbroken line the entire world painted. 

Photographing Sarafina, a Batwa elder in Uganda
Image by Tilman Rauh

Karin, president of the Swiss Yodel Association,
painting her line outside of her home in Switzerland

Aloo, a Mursi tribeswoman, painting her line in Ethiopia

Christopher of the Boruca Tribe in Costa Rica

Digital scan of Christopher’s line on top of his portrait

The Mundari Tribe in South Sudan

WHERE THE IDEA CAME FROM

It all started back in 2017 when I had first decided to travel the world.  At the time, I had ambitions to become an architectural photographer for hospitality properties.  In an attempt to fulfill this dream I photographed a number of hotels, resorts and B&B’s globally in exchange for accommodations.  This allowed me the opportunity to see the world while building a professional portfolio along the way.  While visiting Africa, I was contacted by an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya.  The founder asked me to stay with them and in return I wanted to create a project that would benefit them.  I came up with the idea of bringing paint and paper into the orphanage and asking each child to make a painting. I photographed a black and white portrait of each of them, scanned their paintings and digitally blended their artwork onto their portraits.  This marked the first time I had completed a personal conceptual project outside of commercial work for a client.  The results had such an impact that I ended the trip early to reassess what I wanted to achieve during my travels.  The concept of blending portraits of people on top of their own artwork, being able to look into their eyes while simultaneously observing part of their creative soul, made its mark on me.  I knew it was an artistic practice I needed to pursue, however there was one aspect of the project that needed to be changed.  I felt that the images being purely digital took away from the individuality and uniqueness of the children themselves.  I went into the darkroom and experimented with different paints and processes until I found a combination that would allow me to print the portraits directly on top of the paintings.  The result would be a truly original piece and only one would ever exist. The idea to travel to every country and have them each paint a line that would later be connected developed shortly after. Quest of Sages was born.

DECIDING WHO TO PHOTOGRAPH

Months before arriving in the country I begin the planning process. I will start with a google search:

 “Latvia National Dress”

 “Guatemala Traditional Culture”

“Tribes in Ethiopia”

 “Indigenous Groups Cambodia”

One of the most challenging elements of the project is choosing only one person.  After extensive research I eventually make the decision on what type of person I’ll photograph in the country.  Once I know the culture I want to depict, I then start researching local organizations and cultural institutions in the country that work specifically with that group.  Eventually I reach out to send them project information, asking if they’d be willing to assist when I get to the country.  These partnerships have proved invaluable in holding me culturally and ethically accountable, as well as providing access and translation to groups I’d otherwise have no chance of reaching.