Until recently, the inhabitants of the Torres Strait would prevent children from looking at the full moon. They believed that the Mari - or “bad spirits” - surrounding the moon could damage the eyes of young children. The harm caused by the moon’s rays was not believed to be immediate, but could appear years later.
Dennis recalls that when he was a small child, he was always accompanied by an adult who would cover his head and eyes whenever he went outside during a full moon.
The small figures within the composition represent children shielding their eyes from the moon’s rays.
