SOFT FOCUS
少し前の話ですが、ロサンゼルス在住のAndrew C SeitzさんのSoft Focus というサイトで
写真集KITSILANOを紹介してもらいました。
http://www.soft-focus.org/2013/05/kitsilano.html?utm_source=BP_recent
彼は日本のフォトシーンの興味があるようで、写真集のことをどこで知ったのかある日突然直接メールをくれ
その後やりとりの後、国際便で写真集を送りました。
そのサイトの紹介文がとても嬉しかったのでここに転記します。
The book is printed on thin, glossy magazine-style paper with various insert: frosted tracing paper, a small card stock foldout covered in flowers, and manila paper with handwritten notes. On two of the pages, small images are spread out in different sizes, resembling a scrapbook or a collage. The layout of the book has conceptual overtones, yet it never feel overly serious, resulting in a sort og playful, through-the-looking-glass experimentalism.
The photographs appear simple at first glance, but together from an open-ended and elusive based on altered perceptions. One of the recurring scenes in the book is of passengers on a ship. In each photo the colors, framing, and positions of the passengers slightly change, yet the overall image seems to remain the same. Other images similarly appear in different forms and places though out. This cut and paste aesthetic works well, exposing the illusions and variances inherent in memory and the passage of time. kitsilano is certainly unlike any book I’ve come across, and one which strongly hints at more great things to come.
Chihiro provided me with the following answers to my questions about her work and the book:
“Kitsilano is the name of a town which is in Vancouver. I like this word because I can’t guess the meaning of it. At first I started to put together the work by photos I took in Vancouver, but this plan was not going smoothly, so I started to add new photos that were not directly connected. These additonal photos were taken in Tokyo, Amsterdam and other places. I kept making thins series for two years.”
“The meaning of this work is maybe about just my thinking of what photography is or my everyday life. I think the world I can take in photo is very noisy, contrary to my will. Generally we tend to find the story without seeing the noise. But in fact I was moved by noises and textures and materials or lights which do’t emerge in obvious theme. I don’t need a strict theme or costriction, but I just meed to feel my noisy and harmonically confused world . The hand written insets are my notes for printing in the darkroom or my travels.”
