The real Paro, situated on Easter Island, is the largest Moai ever erected by the Rapa Nui people. My Paro was constructed entirely out of cardboard, screws, and a bit of duct tape, taking over 28 hours in total to finish. The inner stability is impressive. The massive size of the structure required me to construct a base that would disperse the weight evenly so it would not collapse. What is not seen are the inner supports that run from the back of the head to the front of the base to support the weight of the face. Throughout the entire process I used an efficient technique that was brand new to me, called “tabbing.” Tabbing works by cutting out squares along the edge of a piece, and leaving tabs that jut out. These tabs attach two pieces in no time by screwing in the folded over tabs. This method, used on almost every piece of my Moai, is a big part of why it is so structurally sound. To get the proportions correct, each piece was measured and cut to a specific shape. I also used the technique of overlapping cardboard to create the chest and chin areas. Finally, the Moai head was spray-painted with a special textured paint to make it seem more rock-like.

Mapping out the pieces