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A “Spineless” mysterious world

Susan Middleton returns to Maui with a new photo exhibition

A Tiger Cowry (Cypraea tigris) has folds of skin that envelop the shell, which produces the glossy surface admired by shell collectors. -- SUSAN MIDDLETON photo

Living on an island in the middle of the widest ocean on Earth gives one an appreciation for how small we humans truly are. That thought becomes even more overwhelming when you begin to consider the sheer magnitude of life forms that many of us will never see because they are found beneath the waves.

Thanks to the foresight of Neida Bangerter, director of the Schaefer International Gallery at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, a new exhibit never before seen in Hawaii comes to Maui for 10 weeks beginning today through Oct. 1, which will showcase the work of artist, photographer, author and educator Susan Middleton.

“Susan connects the dots of how everything fits together beautifully for us through her lens,” explains Bangerter. “While educational, she displays a great sense of humor in her work. She’s delighted to do what she’s doing, and it shows and that makes it more interesting for the rest of us.”

In her most recent book, and that on which the exhibit is based, “Spineless: Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, the Backbone of Life,” we have a chance to see these rare species that share the planet with us.

Sylvia Earle, American marine biologist and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, notes in her foreward for this book, “…only about 5 percent of the ocean below the surface waters has ever been seen at all, let alone fully explored.”

Photographer Susan Middleton -- The Maui News / CATHERINE KENAR photo

More than 98 percent of marine species are invertebrates — without a spine. According to scientists, they are the foundation of all life on earth yet are relatively visually unknown.

As Middleton states in her book, “Almost half of the thirty-three invertebrate phyla (one of the group or category used in classifying the animal kingdom) are entirely marine, and members of the other phyla are found primarily in marine habitats. We are vastly outnumbered by the invertebrates. We depend on them for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we need to grow our food.”

The current exhibition includes 50 original archival framed photographic prints along with a film that documents Middleton creating these photographs.

In the mid-1980s, Middleton worked with famed photographer Richard Avedon overseeing the travelling exhibit of his works, “In the American West” in which he photographed the ordinary Americans who were frequently not acknowledged — students, truckers, oil field and factory workers. It was during this time that Middleton studied Avedon’s approach to portrait photography — plain white background, focus on the subject. With such powerful photographs, words are less necessary in telling the story.

“Susan doesn’t take pictures,” says Bangerter. “Her photographs are museum art, fine art. There’s a distinct difference.”

Widehand Hermit and Hermit Crab Sponge (Elassochirus tenuimanus and Suberites sp.) which take the dead skeleton of other animals for their own use. Hermits are not attached to their shells, so when they outgrow one, they must find another. -- SUSAN MIDDLETON photo

Middleton has been on the leading edge in setting a new standard in nature photography since the early 1980s. Rather than produce traditional photos where the subject is stylized in a “natural” setting or a specimen is pinned out on a board, she photographed a federally endangered Fringed-Toed Sand Lizard on a piece of black velvet. This was such a departure from the traditional style, it led to an exhibition and her first book, “Here Today: Portraits of Our Vanishing Species.”

This is the third major show of images of the natural world at the Schaefer International Gallery by Middleton. Her previous exhibits included “Remains of a Rainbow” in 2004, and “Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands” in 2007, and were created with fellow photographer David Littschwager. Both of these exhibits are collected in print and have become valuable support documentation in the marine ecology movement.

In producing the book that this exhibition is based on, Middleton worked for seven years, from 2006 to 2013, photographing the marine invertebrates in three marine habitats: French Frigate Shoals, in the Hawaiian archipelago; the Line Islands, in the Central Pacific; and San Juan Island, in Washington state.

Joining a team of marine biologists on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel, Middleton was tasked with making photographic portraits of live specimens that were collected by the scientists she accompanied.

“I attach myself to scientists and I learn from them,” chuckled Middleton. “I’ve always had an interest in the outdoors. I grew up in the Northwest, my father was an outdoorsman. I was out in nature a lot.”

Frilled Anemone (Phymanthus sp.) would likely not be noticed by the casual observer since the stalk is buried in sediment and the disc, with its central mouth and tentacles lies flat on the surface of the sediment. -- SUSAN MIDDLETON photo

Her on-ship studio consisted of seawater in modified aquariums and flat Plexiglas and glass trays. Lighting used handheld strobe lights.

While her subjects were small, none were microscopic and the largest magnification she used was five times life-size.

While her purpose aboard the research vessels was to photograph the specimens that the scientists brought aboard, after producing one photo of a brittle star, meticulously coaxed into a “scientific” layout, Middleton realized she couldn’t continue in that manner. The animals were forced into unnatural poses, albeit appropriate for scientific study.

So she explained her feelings and then showed the scientists the photos she took, photos for which she patiently waited for the perfect moment.

“The photo of the Pacific Giant Octopus (the book cover image) took over three days,” explained Middleton. “With the help of a technician who worked to keep the octopus alive by continually refreshing the water in the holding tank, I would take it out for 15 minutes at a time, place it in my “studio” aquariums and wait.

Orange Rimmed Flatworm (cf. Maiazoon orsaki) are hermaphroditic organisms, having both male and female systems, which is not uncommon among invertebrates. -- SUSAN MIDDLETON photo

“The animal initially was worried, wondering what was going on. After time passed and it realized it wasn’t in danger, it became curious — that’s when it got interesting. It would start moving, stretching and curling its legs.

“With the exception of a few species that were newly discovered that the scientists needed to keep for taxinomic purposes, all the animals were returned to the ocean.”

It was that patience and resolve to make a beautiful portrait of these animals, not just get a photo, that allowed Middleton to produce the awe-inspiring photos that are published in her book and on display during this exhibition.

As you walk through the exhibit, you are first entranced by the beauty of her art. Even to a novice eye, these photos are museum quality. While looking at the photos, you are struck by the delicate, frilled edges of the Orange Rimmed Flatworm, the flower-like imagery of the San Juan Stalked Jellyfish and even the porcupine-looking Opalescent Nudibranch.

Then, you get to the cephalopods, the Stubby Squid, the White Phantom Crab (Tanaoa distinctus), the Widehand Hermit crab (Elassochirus tenuimanus) — you see them looking back at you — and you realize, they are alive. They are aware. As Middleton commented about the eye of the Pacific Giant Octopus that greets visitors upon entering this exhibit, “… someone’s home in that eye.”

Opalescent Nudibranch (Hermissenda crassicornis) the numerous orange tipped tentacles come off readily when a predator grabs one, leaving the predator holding a squirmy tentacle as the animal rapidly escapes “gecko-style.” -- SUSAN MIDDLETON photo

This exhibit is a must-see for everyone. It reinforces, in a subtle, yet powerful manner that this world we live in is populated by more than just the things we readily see each day — our pets, the birds, the plants, the people. It should also remind us to be more aware of how our actions are impacting even the smallest amongst us. When you look at the Hermit crabs and clams and see how fragile their shells are, and then read about how our practices are destroying their only means of protection through the acidification of our oceans, you can’t help but have a light-bulb moment that makes you rethink how you are living your life.

“Spineless: Marine Invertebrates, the Backbone of Life” will be on exhibit 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays (and before select Castle Theater shows/intermissions) in the Schaefer International Gallery at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Admission is free. For more information, call 242-7469 or visit www.mauiarts.org.

Stubby Squid (Rossia pacifica) is not in fact a true squid. It doesn’t swim, it is found buried in sand during the day and crawls out at night. -- SUSAN MIDDLETON photo

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