Kea'aokahonua, my full first name, translates to "the root of the earth", and as the name suggests reflecting on my roots has become a creative catalyst for me. The inspiration for the project stemmed from a longing for home after being away at school for the past four years. Before my time at Stanford, I spent all of my life on my family's homestead on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. 

 

Two parts of Hawaii that I found myself missing while at school were nature and food. I picked ulu, also known as breadfruit, as a key subject matter for this project because it encapsulated both of these aspects. Through the imagery below, I wanted to inspire the viewer to look at the fruit differently, kind of like how being at Stanford changed the way I thought about things I used to take for granted at home. I hope that when you look at these pieces, the creeping geometry guides your eye and your mind to unexpected places.