Well, it’s difficult to explain in English. As a volunteer for blind people, I had to tell them what I could see in detail with no subjectivity. For example, “there are trees 5 metres in front of us, there is 6 steps downstairs/upstairs, two cars are passing so we have to stop here, etc.” It was like phenomenology and I think this influences me more than Zen. Blindness interests me and these experiences influenced both A Tree of Night and Semicircle Law.
Read MoreHANON (2016), Mizutani’s latest publication, delivers this darker side of Japan in graphic style. The book features a series of stark B&W images of great cormorants in flocks or perched solely amongst the maze of power lines that dominate the Tokyo skyline. These silhouettes are precariously edited throughout the book and resemble a musical score. This has not gone unnoticed by Mizutani (or publisher IMA) as the title HANON is a reference to the French piano instruction book titled Hanon Complete: The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises for the Piano by Charles-Louis Hanon.
Read MoreTama-chan is a photographic investigation of a friend who I have concern for. Sadly, her life has been directed by death and violence. Perhaps she belongs in an older Japan? The technological advancements and the fast pace of contemporary society wear her energy and spirit down.
Read MoreKazuma Obara's Silent Histories is a delicate and complex look at the devastation of war. In this interview with Dr. Kristian Haggblom, Obara discusses the origins and process behind the creation of his first photobook, and the intricacies of telling the story of a hidden generation of Japanese people.
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