laura thompson's photoseries captures yeti-like creatures made from manmade plastic

california-born photographer laura thompson has created a photoseries, which captures yeti-like figures in costumes made of disposable materials. called ‘senseless’, it draws on the mythology of urban myths such as bigfoot to portray society’s dislocation with its natural surroundings.

images courtesy of the photographer

laura thompson was particularly interested in a study by claude levi strauss, which described how members of a particular tribe could see venus in full daylight. the anthropologist discovered that this was a skill that western sailors had had in the past, but lost over time since they no longer used it to navigate.

‘based on various anthropological and scientific studies, it has been observed that as people have become more dependent on modern technology and science, people’s senses have gradually dulled and become dislocated with our natural surroundings,’ says thompson.

thompson was inspired by the costumes and masks used in animist and shaman cultures to mediate between the human world and the animal or spirit world, as well as the mythology of bigfoot.

she has created a costume to represent each sense, using manmade plastic forks, earplugs, vinyl gloves, air fresheners and compact mirrors. she then photographed an unidentifiable figure wearing each costume, alone in natural surroundings as if some kind of mythical creature.

‘I was surprised to learn that you aren’t born with an innate ability to sense things,’ thompson told the british journal of photography. ‘it develops as you’re a child, your senses adapt to the specifics of your environment. advances in technology bring passivity. certain parts of our brains don’t develop because technology is there doing everything for us.’

‘what interested me most was that many seemed to be based on existing mythologies and the fact that many of these creatures, seemed to be trapped between two worlds,’ explains thompson. ‘bigfoot being the prime example is not quite human or animal so wanders on the fringe of both, not really belonging to either.’

‘the creature has been consumed by our materialistic society to the point they can no longer sense anything. they attempt to go back to nature only to find it’s too late and they’re stuck between these two worlds,’ adds thompson. ‘not quite human not quite animal, it has this in-between quality, this uncomfortableness. people trying to go back to nature have that feeling as well – you can try but you can’t get there.‘