First and Lasts

  • Max Hilbourne

The brief for this university project was to choose a number, then research and explore its significance. I chose the number one, associating it with the phrases "the first one" and "the last one". I used this to search up big moments in history that indicated the first of something and the last of something. For firsts I settled on Neil Armstrong 'the first man to walk on the moon'. For lasts I went with 'Sudan' the last Northern white rhinoceros; unfortunately as soon as I reached this deadline Sudan passed away leaving a bittersweet end.

For these final images I used the gold to represent victory and triumph like a trophy, but also the gold can take a negative standpoint, for example: being the last of your species.
Sudan, the last male northern white rhino.
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.
This is a developmental piece from the project. I was exploring how else I could show the last individual in a species, considering how a lot of species have been driven to extinction through poaching. I also thought about how certain things are celebrated and cherished, through ornaments and statues. I created this ‘humane’ trophy to represent Sudan, the last male Northern white rhino, reflecting on the dreadful circumstances that led to him being the last of his species.