Origami Extinction - Sumatran Rhinoceros (2019) Photography by Vethan Sautour

The aim of the "Origami Extinction" photographic series is to raise awareness on the disappearance and endangerment of animal species by closing the gap between subject and viewer.

Through shapes, shadows and textures, I photograph a number of origami equivalent to the remainder of existing individuals of a given species to enable the spectator to apprehend in a visual, instantaneous manner the danger of their imminent extinction. Instead of shock value, poetry and beauty have been considered a more efficient tool for reaching a lasting effect on onlookers and spur interest.

The artistic objective is to confer an intellectual reality to these beings, so as to raise empathy, understanding and stir viewers into action. Whilst the hues are representative of the animals' true shades and environment, the blank spaces draw their influence from Japanese traditional "nihonga" art, in which artists used to leave a part of the canvas empty for the onlooker to be able to project his thoughts and contemplate his soul.

The Sumatran rhinoceros and Javan rhinoceros are the most threatened rhino species in the world. With only about 80 individuals remaining due to habitat loss and fragmentation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the species as critically endangered.

Another cause of their decline is poaching, which Rhino Protection Units are trying to prevent. To increase their numbers, attempts at breeding them in captivity are taking place. Their numbers have decreased by 70% in the last 20 years.

"The Sumatran rhinoceros once roamed as far away as the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Bhutan and eastern Indian, through Myanmar, Thailand, possibly to Vietnam and China, and south through the Malay peninsula. Today, the species only survives on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo." (WWF)

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