New York artist Trina Merry has created a series of photographs called "Lost In Wonder" that fuse the modern medium of photography with the ancient practice of body art.
Merry, along with model Kyle James, travelled the world to merge her subject with some of the world’s most incredible sites. Her work has taken her to beautiful corners of the world, including the Great Wall of China and the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
"I spent $40,000 (£26,000) on the model and my trip and took 2.5 months to travel around the world doing these works on-site, guerrilla style," Merry told IFLScience.
While the images display a huge amount of technical skill, there's also a message to the art: stop the selfies and start appreciating your surroundings.
"At major tourist sites like these, there are masses of visual consumers ‘taking’ from this environment without really appreciating the space or the history and culture of the people who made these structures. Artists are culture makers so I couldn’t approach this trip the same way – we 'made' a picture," said Merry.
The body painting can take anywhere from half an hour to three hours, with an accuracy that could deceive you into thinking it’s been photoshopped.
Speaking about her technique, Merry said: “I mark the spot where I stand to take the photograph and mark where the model stands and then I run back and forth to the camera, painting the model in real time to blend into the site. I have to paint incredibly fast.“
Check out Trina’s website for more of her projects. Prints of her work can be bought here.
Image credit: Trina Merry
Image credit: Trina Merry
Image credit: Trina Merry
Image credit: Trina Merry
Image credit: Trina Merry
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