WHAT REMAINS: AMELIA
LAURIE RUBIN
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WHAT REMAINS: AMELIA - Laurie rubin
4.6667째 S, 174.5167째 W
NIKUMARORO
For THE past four years, I’ve explored the narrative and drama of everyday objects through photography. These investigations have resulted in the photo series Bibliophilia and Boxes. What Remains is a continuation of this journey. The objects in What Remains, often personal ephemera, are a glimpse into the passions, fascinations and sometimes most cherished memories of their owners. They are a touchstone, a portal to a specific memory or event, left behind for us to experience and interpret. By photographing and preserving their imagery, these objects transcend their original purpose. They become artifacts in our cultural history. At least they do in my eyes and through my lens. What Remains: Amelia asks a question and offers an answer. It pays homage to an aviation pioneer and a single organization’s enduring search for clues, proof and perhaps closure to a historical mystery – the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
“KHAQQ to ITASCA... We must be on you but cannot see you, but gas is running low.” These were some of the last words received from aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan, before they disappeared in the Central Pacific on July 2, 1937 on route to Howland Island. It was one of the final legs in their attempt to circumnavigate the globe at its equator. A massive search by sea and air failed to find any trace of the missing pilots or their Lockheed Electra aircraft. Rumors and conspiracy theories abounded, but the official consensus was that the plane ran out of gas, landed on the ocean and sunk without a trace. In 1997, researchers from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) uncovered the original British files from Fiji relating to the incident. Remains of a castaway that appeared to endure a lingering death had been discovered at a makeshift campsite in 1940 on Gardner Island, a remote and uninhabited coral atoll (now called Nikumaroro). Based on their findings then, British authorities dismissed any connection to the Earhart disappearance and chose not to notify the American consulate. All physical evidence, including the sole of a woman’s shoe, had since disappeared but TIGHAR’s forensic anthropologists were able to examine the files, review doctor’s notes and perform computer analysis of the skeletal measurements. The remains were once believed to be a muscular, European male. Modern computer calculations however, determined the skeleton likely female, of northern European ancestry and roughly 5’8” tall. Amelia Earhart gave her height as 5’8”. The findings compelled TIGHAR to continue their investigations and archaeological expeditions to the original discovery site. Their odyssey continues to this day, with expedition teams unearthing new discoveries. It was an honor to photograph some of the objects recovered from the site likely associated with the Castaway of Gardner Island. These artifacts may be relics of the last days of an American icon. They are What Remains.
GREEN BOTTLE A broken, 3 oz. green glass bottle found in the remains of a campfire displays features that provide clues to both its original contents and ultimate use. Its unique style matches an Owens Illinois Glass Company design patented in 1933. Identical bottles sold in the U.S. in the 1930s contained St. Joseph N & B (Nerve & Bone) Family Liniment, “A counterirritant rub to aid in relief of Simple Neuralgia, Muscular Aches and Pains, Bruises, Sprains and Non-poisonous Insect Bites.� No other known product available for purchase matches the bottle. The bottom of the bottle has melted but the upper portions exhibit no heat damage. The bottle appears to have been standing in a fire for some purpose, possibly to boil collected water for drinking. Recovered from Nikumoro, 2007
Aircraft
aluminum
Every aspect of this sheet metal matches the aluminum sheet and rivets used on Earhart’s Lockheed Electra, however the pattern of rivets is slightly off for the location on the aircraft underside where it would fit best. The fragment does not fit any other known aircraft. Remnants of ALCOA markings etched on the sheet indicate that the metal was from a batch of aluminum that was approved for repair, but not for original construction. After the accident in Hawaii that ended her first world-flight attempt, much of the belly of Earhart’s aircraft was replaced. There is no existing information on how those repairs were carried out. Recovered from Nikumaroro, 1991
DR. BERRY’S
OINTMENT POT Discovered broken in five pieces, when reassembled, the glass fragments form a nearly complete jar identical in shape and size to the ones used by Dr. C. H. Berry’s Freckle Ointment. Freckles were considered rather unfashionable in the early 20th century and it’s reported that Earhart disliked hers immensely. Chemical analysis of the interior surface of the glass reveals abnormally high traces of mercury. Mercury was a key ingredients in Dr. Berry’s product. Four of the shards were found next to one another. The fifth was located 65 feet away near the bones of a turtle. The edge of the fragment shows signs of being used as a cutting tool. Recovered from Nikumororo, 2010
A V I AT I O N
PLEXIGLAS Gardner Island was a British Colonial settlement inhabited by Pacific Islanders from 1939 to 1963. An archaeological examination of the colonial village uncovered aircraft wreckage used to make handicrafts, such as combs and fishing lures. Some pieces are from a WW2 B-24 bomber, probably one that crashed 230 miles away on Canton Island in 1944. Other fragments of aluminum do not match the B-24 and are consistent with Earhart’s Lockheed Electra. A fragment of Plexiglas found in the abandoned village is the same color, thickness, and subtle compound curvature as Lockheed Part Number 40552 – the cabin windows of Earhart’s Model 10 Electra. Recovered from Nikumaroro, 1996
Follow the expedition at: www.laurierubinprojects.com
THE EXPEDITION
When the opportunity to photograph objects recovered from TIGH never imaged that it would one day take me clear across the plane
HAR Earhart expeditions presented itself, I jumped at it. Amelia had been my childhood fascination. I et. With 30 strangers. On a ship, essentially cut off from the outside world. Looking for What Remains.