x elements

book

title
x elements　かぜとつちと
publisher
AKAAKA Art Pulishing Inc.
designer
NAKAJIMA Yuta
ISBN
978-4-86541-191-1
size
168pages,
25.0cm × 18.2cm × 1.5cm
price
4,500 JPY +tax
dealers
AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc.
Amazon Japan
contact form on this website
note
This book has a soft binding that listens to the secret stories of Shimane, and is small enough to be carried in a bag to accompany you on your travels. The book is double-sided and French-dressed. It spells out 10,000 words of text.

exhibitions

"Earth" @ Nikon Salon (JPN) in 2024

scenographed by YAMAMOTO Jumpei

Nature and People, Cycled and Confronted

Coexistence with nature is not easy. In the conflict with the beasts that ravage the fields, life circulates quietly, communicating with the environment rather than controlling it. The rich and complex form of Shimane is presented through the weaving together of the activities of individual people in secret.

"Growth" @ Horikawaoike gallery (JPN) in 2024

framing direction by POETIC SCAPE

History lying on the land

History is hidden even in ordinary landscapes. How is it connected to the present, which is the foundation of our lives, but not always the way we wish? To know the past, we must be proactive. From there, we can contemplate how the future will unfold.

"Faith" @ Okuizumo vineyard (JPN) in 2024

printed on straw paper with iron sand

Versatile iron and rice

In the Okuizumo region of Shimane, mountains cut down for iron sand extraction for tatara iron production have been converted into terraced rice paddies. The usefulness of iron and rice as the foundation of humankind. Iron sand from Unnan is mixed with Nita rice as glue and fixed on rice straw paper made in Yasugi.

photographs

The workings of man and nature, in secret.
Under the blazing sun, I escaped the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and walked through the mountains of Shimane, where the culture of tatara, an ancient iron-making technique, still remains. Suddenly, a pleasant breeze brushed the sweat from my skin. I realized that I was at the entrance to a village. It was a moment that made me imagine the emergence of a society that made the most of the geographical advantages of the wildness of human beings.

The more one visits the local community, the more one becomes aware that nature is not something to be manipulated by human beings, but rather something to be communicated with. Even today, rice cakes made from cut bamboos are served at the time of the summer solstice, and straw snakes are offered in the woods around the time of the "kamiaritsuki" month (the month of the gods) to slowly return to the earth.
The richness of the climate also teaches humans to be harsh. Ivy and bushes cover vacant houses, and fruit trees left in depopulated areas attract beasts. Biodiversity and resilience are nurtured in places where the soil (the power to protect) and wind (the power to change) come into friction.

When we feel powerless in the face of the unstoppable decline in birthrates and the aging of society, we should return to this perspective. It is from this very place where the old and the young rub against each other, where the logic of both rural and urban areas can be understood, and where challenges can be overcome.

Award & Nomination

2024
Critical Mass TOP 50
2024
KG＋SELECT finalist
2024
Belfast Photo Festival shortlisted

interactive

　

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