WAKAKO KIKUCHI - ECHO

WAKAKO KIKUCHI
ECHO

Published by Libro Arte, 2016
Book size 21 x 29.7 cm
Pages, 64 pages
Hardcover
Languages, English, Japanese

"I grew up in a small town in the countryside in the northeast region of Japan.
There were few lights to light up the town, so on days when the moon and stars couldn't be seen there was a deep darkness that made me afraid of night falling. In winter the snow covered the earth, turning the town into a white world. Even at night the sky was bright. It seemed like I had wandered into a completely different world that was strangely wonderful and I would gaze at it for a long time.
I began photographing the echo series in 2008 over a period of eight years, guided by myself as I was then. Sometimes my field of vision was taken away, covered by a great white veil so that I could see nothing but myself. I wondered whether it was the real world or just one that I was imagining in my heart and walked on, wandering through this indeterminate space.
Focusing my mind, I could hear sounds of breathing of various kinds; as I took photographs in response to each of these sounds the emotional baggage in my mind gradually fell away.
It seemed that I was touching the world just as it appeared to me when I was a child; it was a gentle time of remembering the past with fondness and yearning."
- Artist's afterwords

--

“I grew up in a small town in the countryside of northeastern Japan.
There were few lights to illuminate the city, so that on days when the moon and stars could not be seen, there was a deep darkness that made me fear nightfall. In winter, the snow covered the earth, transforming the city into a white world. Even at night, the sky was bright. I felt like I had strayed into a completely different world, strangely wonderful, which I contemplated for a long time.
I started photographing the echo series in 2008, over a period of eight years, at times my field of vision was suppressed, covered by a large white veil, so that I saw nothing but myself. I wondered if this was the real world or a world I imagined in my heart and I kept walking, wandering in this indeterminate space.
As I concentrated, I was able to hear breathing sounds of different natures; as I took pictures in response to each of these sounds, the emotional baggage in my mind gradually dissipated.
I felt like I was touching the world as it appeared to me when I was a child; it was a moment of sweetness where I remembered the past with tenderness and nostalgia."
- According to the artist