A Louisville, Ky. man took advantage of the abundance of free time afforded by the pandemic and put his artistic skills to use bringing together two of his favorite passions: travel and art.
While global lockdowns and travel restrictions prevented vacationers from exploring the globe, Joe Kremer crafted 6,500 corks into a six-foot tall Easter Island Moai head sculpture, as reported by the Courier-Journal.
A jeweler by trade, the project was not Kremer’s first attempt with the medium. He has dabbled with cork art in the past, but this was his first foray into oversized showpieces.
It was around the Easter holiday that Kremer had the idea, and after researching the islands and the history of the Moai heads (actually full bodies covered by dirt, dating back 500-700 years), he decided on a ceremonial piece that he would title “Big Mo.”
A 6-foot Easter Island statue, made out of wine corks? One man’s COVID-19 pandemic project https://t.co/ohqf7aYUql
— Courier Journal (@courierjournal) July 22, 2021
Obtaining the large number of corks required for the project was not as much fun as you might think: Kremer does not drink. Friends and family happily obliged, and anonymous donations of the interesting art supplies trickled in to keep the operation well-funded.
Built with a hollow frame, the construction was a laborious task that took months to complete using simple hand tools. A dark, long tequila cork split in half became the perfect pair of nostrils.
Big Mo has become a local celebrity, making appearances at local events and hosting a stream of visitors in Louisville.
Kremer’s ingenuity proves once again that life is all about perspective, and one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.