Ha?: The Laughing Boy Project
“The Sound of Laughter” ©Hersley Casero 2008
The Story
The story of the Laughing Boy began in 2008, with a camera in the hands of young artist and street photographer, Hersley Casero. He was testing out a new long lens - sponsored to him by the LA Times - on his younger cousins and nephews who were playing amongst the trees and bamboo houses in his hometown of Dumaguete, the Philippines. For some reason unfathomable to most of us adults, they found this alien piece of technology absolutely hilarious.
Thus was the creation of the Laughing Boy photograph, with Hersley's youngest cousin, Joseph as the subject. Hersley shared the photo on the web with the title 'the Sound of Laughter', unaware that it would quickly draw so much attention. The photo began to spread around the web like wildfire, going viral around the Philippines and gaining interest around the world.
Four years later, Hersley discovered a Filipino food artist who seemed very inspired by the Laughing Boy image, reproducing it in many of his works. Flattered by this, Hersley informed his friends and family to tune into a popular
national news channel who were to do a feature on this food artist shortly after.
The morning after the feature, Hersley woke up in his studio - as he often does after spending the night unable to put his paintbrush down - to a barrage of frustrated messages from hundreds of friends and relatives. The food artist had claimed, while being interviewed by the news channel, that his Laughing Boy art had been inspired by a child who was a Cancer survivor. Furthermore, upon witnessing this episode, Joseph (8-years-old at the time) had spent the whole night in a hysterical panic, believing that he was really sick.
Despite many of his friends trying to convince him to take legal action against the food artist, Hersley decided that he would much rather turn the whole experience into something positive. He came up with 'Ha?', the Laughing Boy Project to reclaim the image of 'the Sound of Laughter' for Dumaguete, support his cousin's bright future, and spread the message of authenticity and celebration of individuality through the arts.
The Journey So Far
Over the last six years, Hersley has hosted a number of 'Ha?' workshops with children and adults from all walks of life, creating almost 500 different versions of the Laughing Boy image. Visitors to his studio are also encouraged to take a template and create their own Laughing Boy. Every version is celebrated as unique and an expression of its creator's individuality, and every person - young or old - to participate is encouraged to let go of all inhibitions and embrace their own style without being too self-critical, and instead feeling confident in whatever their creativity produces.
Hersley also collaborates with local restaurants, resorts, shopping malls and galleries to hold Ha? exhibitions with the works created through the project, as well as promoting the Laughing Boy creations to friends and clients around the world, and managing a Laughing Boy Project Instagram page. For every Laughing Boy sold, 50% of the profit is shared with its creator, 25% goes back into sourcing materials for more workshops, and 25% is donated to Joseph's college fund. He is now 14-years-old and, funnily enough, showing a keen interest in art.
Where We’re Going
The most beautiful effect to come out of each 'Ha?' workshop is the journey that many participants seem to take during the creation of their own Laughing Boy. Starting with a blank canvas, even with a simple outline as a guide, is more often than not a very daunting prospect. What we often find is that many participants are reluctant to even make a start for fear of getting it 'wrong'.
The inclination to self-doubt is a phenomenon that is universally experienced by children and adults alike when embarking on any new project, venture or experience, and facing the unknown. One of the main intentions for the Laughing Boy exercise is to confront this with colour, shared inspiration and all-round positivity!
With his inherent warmth and interest in others, an organic connection has inevitably formed between Hersley and each 'Ha?' participant so far. During the time of focus and creativity that is set aside to complete one version of the Laughing Boy, challenges are faced, conversation is made and inevitably, stories are shared.
By the end of the process there is always joy, a sense of accomplishment, new friendships, and the realisation that no matter where we come from or who we may be, we are all the same in the way that we are all different.
This is the message we hope to spread around the world, one Laughing Boy at a time.