‘Pedras da imaginação’

Rocks of Imagination – Pedras da ImaginaçãoIn 1999 I sailed the 193km coast around Ilha Grande, south of Rio de Janeiro, to document, from the sea towards the island, the physical nature of its beaches before the turn of the century. Among the 107 documented beaches, rocky shores impressed me with their greatness, beauty and mystery. On one side of the island, facing the open sea, strong waves burst on the rocky walls. Above one of these, a giant rock with the shape of a dragon advanced toward the horizon, as if confronting the power of the sea and its invasions – it is the Dragon Rock. On the same day, from the other side of the island, with a calm sea at the end of the afternoon, I came across a serene rock with the shape of a fetus – the Fetus Rock. Since then, for 15 years I have been searching for rocks with shapes of real and imaginary beings.Rocks with shapes began to be discovered by me or pointed out by the natives, every one having a story. Local ones in the backyard of my home, others far away. The most well known, the rock of Pico do Papagaio (Parrot Peak), visible from a long distance, is located at the top of a 2,400 foot mountain. However, after a tough climb of 2.5 hours, the same rock from closeup has a different shape, which resembles the head of Mickey Mouse. One rock with two shapes.In total, 40 rocks were selected and photo-documented.To edit Rocks of Imagination, I found inspiration in the mysticism of a remote temple in Sumatra I visited when I was young. Deep in the jungle, the temple’s megalithic rocks, many sculpted by man, were used to educate children about sexuality, procreation, and the evolution of man. Rocks of Imagination begins with pre-historic times with the Dinosaur Rock. It follows with a number of animals, like the Turtle Rock, Alligator Rock, and the Elephant Rock. Next are rocks suggesting erotic body parts of humans, humorously viewed by natives. They are the Carla Perez’ Butt Rock, and the Rock of Imaginatio