Azamino Photo Annual “When you think about it, it’s not in front of you anymore” | Interview with Ryuichi Ishikawa

Published on February 14, 2016 Interview & Text: Hiroyuki Watanabe Photo (Portrait): Masamasa Nishino

I believe it was in November 2014 that I learned about the photographer Ryuichi Ishikawa. A female friend I met in Okinawa told me, ``My friend, an interesting photographer, is holding an exhibition in Shibuya, so you should go see it.'' I met Mr. Ishikawa at the venue just before the printing of ``okinawan portraits 2010-2012,'' which later won the Kimura Ihei Photography Award, was quite drunk, so I decided to visit him later at his solo exhibition at the Ginza Nikon Salon. , I spoke to him again. Mr. Ishikawa, who strolled out of a Ginza alley carrying a large backpack and two Hasselblads with digital backs hanging from his neck, answered questions slowly and carefully, choosing each word one by one, as if he were from Okinawa. It was given to me. I thought he was an honest person. 1 year after that. I met Mr. Ishikawa for the first time in a long time while he was busy preparing for his solo exhibition "When I think about it, it's not in front of me anymore." He was as modest and sincere as ever, with kind and wet eyes, and a cool (crazy?) Okinawa man. It's "Nii-ni".

A photo exhibition is just about hitting the "dots" of the moment, so I'll just show what I've taken so far.

``When I think about it, it's not right in front of my eyes anymore'' features Ishikawa's early works before he was recognized as a photographer, including ``Polyphony of Spectacular Views'', which won the Kimura Ihei Photography Award, and ``OKinawan Portraits 2010-''. 2012”. In addition, his latest work ``CAMP'' will be shown for the first time. When I told him that I thought it was a great way to learn about the photographer Ryuichi Ishikawa and his world of work, Mr. Ishikawa smiled wryly and said, ``It's like a retrospective exhibition even though he's not dead,'' but the purpose of the exhibition is simple.

``I just put out everything I can at the moment. People are thinking about many things at the same time in their heads. I take portraits, snapshots, and Polaroid photos for the exhibition at the same time, and my early works... This was from a time when I was experimenting with photography through trial and error, but that still hasn't changed. Photography doesn't have any answers, but I think all I need to do is think about it. Exhibition I don't think it's necessary to think about the meaning of the structure of a person now.What people have thought about will not be understood until the time of their death, and something is not completed somewhere. If I had to say it, I would say, ``This is what I'm thinking right now, this is what I thought here''.At each moment, I express what was born from facing each other as honestly and as much as possible with instantaneous power. I would like to leave something behind like that.”

Your own imagination is too small to even reach the polyphonic state that the world fascinates you with.

Among the exhibited works, ``ryu-graph'' is unique. This work, which was created by applying solvent directly to photographic paper, is a direct expression of Mr. Ishikawa's inner images, in a way that is different from so-called photographs. During the time he was working on his work, Ishikawa rarely met other people, and he stayed at home without taking photos. The impetus was an unexpected realization about photography.

``When I first started photography, I would take snapshots of things that caught my eye.However, when I printed them out, they were completely different from the images I had when I took them.I thought, ``Photos don't show anything.'' If you think about it, when people see something, they think about everything, such as what they ate in the morning, the weather that day, the feel of the air, and the smell they smelled. You feel something. Because you have different experiences, you don't always feel the same thing when you look at the same thing. So, by combining various images, you can express what you are feeling. I thought I might be able to do it, so I started doing composite photography (``Brain Portraits''). From there, I started thinking about what would happen if I messed up what I was thinking and did whatever I wanted without setting any rules. I became interested in it, and tried all sorts of methods, including multiple exposure, collage, burning film, and changing the procedure for using developers and other chemicals. Before long, I stopped even taking pictures."

Image left: Ψυχή (anima Psyche) / 2007 / Gelatin silver print
Image right: ryu-graph #0028/2009/gelatin silver print

The frustration of not being able to control the communication gap between the viewer and the viewer that occurs in the process of "taking" to "conveying" has led to the creation of composite photographs that are easy to express the image within oneself, as well as "ryu-graph". ”, Ishikawa said. Have you discovered anything while continuing to create without using a camera even though you are a photographer?

"It shows how small each person's imagination is. 'Is this what I am?' I thought I could do something more interesting, but I realized it wasn't that great. I had ideas, methods, and concrete images, but I thought it was pointless.I thought it was already at the stage where I could imagine what would happen next.''

After completing ``ryu-graph,'' Mr. Ishikawa leaves the darkroom and begins taking snapshots of people, places, and events that occur around him. This later culminated in ``adrenamix''. ``Print Mirror'', created around the same time, clearly represents Ishikawa's shift in consciousness from his limited inner self to the unpredictable outside world.

Image left: Urasoe, 2009 (from adrenamix) / 2010 / PC, monitor
Image right: Print mirror 02/2010/Gelatin silver print

“I wanted to capture something from the outside world onto photographic paper once again.”

Silver halide photography uses the chemical changes that occur when light shines on the silver coated on the photographic paper to develop and fix the image. A ``photographic mirror'' is a product that uses the chemical reaction of silver in the developing process to create a mirror surface from monochrome photographic paper. A mirror reflects everything on the outside. The image changes every moment, and it is impossible to predict what will appear in the next moment.

When I first heard his story in Ginza, I vividly remember thinking that this man might be trying to become a ``giant image sensor'' that captures everything in the world. ``I wish everything could be photographed,'' Mr. Ishikawa says, ``I wish I could turn it into a photograph.'' You can feel his strong feelings in ``Print Mirror.''

Irrespective of time or place, I tremble at the force of "friction" emitted by the subject and press the shutter.

The characteristic of Ishikawa's photographs, seen in ``Polyphony of Spectacular Views'' and ``Okinawan Portraits 2010-2012,'' can be summed up in one word: their ``vividity.''

Yaese, 2014 (from Polyphony of Spectacular Views) / 2014 / Inkjet print

A continuous barrage of heavy imagery that brings to mind the rich odor of rotting fruit in the hot, humid air of a tropical country. There is a grain of truth in the saying that ``photos only show what is there,'' but it definitely makes you feel that something is there. What does Mr. Ishikawa see and when does he press the shutter?

``I don't really think too deeply about what I'm looking at, but at a photo exhibition or event I was once asked about ``when do I take photos?'' His answer was, ``I shoot when I think, ``This is crazy!'' or when I feel, ``This is crazy!'' That led to my latest work, ``CAMP,'' but I wasn't really interested in forests in the first place. , I went along with the idea because I wanted to try it because it was beyond my imagination, but I didn't know what to photograph once I got into the forest.But I couldn't start unless I took some pictures, so I decided to take pictures. After developing it, printing it, and looking back at it over and over again, what I finally chose was, in the words of ``Gekkei no Polyphony'' and ``Okinawan Portraits 2010-2012'', ``It's alive!'' If I had to put it into words now, I would say it's the force of ``friction'' when something moves.The friction that occurs when animals are together, or when water flows. Friction when cutting rocks.That's interesting.The greater the force of friction, the more it feels like it trembles.In a city, there is physical friction when people pass each other, but there is emotional and emotional friction as well. There is also. Incidents and experiences that occur in a person's life may directly represent the friction that has arisen in that person. That is what it means to be alive. I wonder if it is an accumulation of friction. I think so.”

Among the people Mr. Ishikawa photographs, there are some who look unusual at first glance, and others who are ordinary people. However, one thing that can be said in common is that each model stands out in terms of its individuality.

OP.001143 Naha (from okinawa portraits 2010-2012) / 2013 / Inkjet print

``When it comes to portraits, in the end you are looking at the individual.However, in reality, you may not be looking at the individual either.Most of the time, you don't know when taking the picture.However, this is also a point of reflection. However, I tend to be biased towards looking at unique things.Actually, the more time I have, the more I'm grateful.It means I won't be fooled by appearances.If I have time, I won't try to go for what's easier or easier to understand. .I think it's dangerous."

In a magazine interview, photographer Shinya Fujiwara said, ``I think we're living in an era where the face is not of the individual but of the group.'' After the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and the nuclear power plant accident that occurred as a result, we have lived in an era in which "we don't know what will happen in five minutes," and people want to ensure peace of mind by gathering together. shall be. Fujiwara believes that this is symbolized by the popularity of group idols such as AKB48, and that the phenomenon they have created is itself functioning as a shelter for today's young people who are worried about the uncertain future. It's your view.

It's true that AKB48 and EXILE dominate the top of the J-POP charts, and when you walk around town you pass many young people who look like clones. It is difficult to find anything resembling an ``individual'' in his appearance.

However, Ishikawa, who unexpectedly discovered photography as a means of expression in the midst of what Fujiwara calls ``the era when the group becomes the face,'' and has continued to take photographs, does not have AKB48 or EXILE in his portraits. Each person's presence stands out, emitting a strong body odor that is unique to that person. If the accumulation of "friction" that Mr. Ishikawa refers to creates the "face of an individual," then the selected models have lived their own lives, for better or for worse, whether they are aware of it or not. I guess they are the ones who have lost it. Mr. Ishikawa senses the vibes emitted by the friction that these women have accumulated, and clicks the shutter. The viewer is struck by the momentary reflection of the unique and diverse nature of human beings, which has become difficult to see due to the shadows of the times, and makes the viewer feel a vivid sense of vividness. I did.

OP.002187 Naha (from okinawa portraits 2010-2012) / 2012 / Inkjet print

Photography is a medium that inevitably captures the characteristics of the times and places. How does Mr. Ishikawa view the relationship between his photographs and the times and places?

``I think about what the situation is like in a time or place by looking at a photograph, and thinking about it first is meaningless for me.It may be a mistake to imagine such elements in advance.'' not"

Being aware of the time and place before taking a photo is a noise that clouds Mr. Ishikawa's perspective on the world, just like his own resourceful imagination, which he encountered in ``ryu-graph'' It may just be a shackle.

Life is always on the edge, and stability is only a momentary thing for people on the streets.

``CAMP'' is a series of photographs taken by survival mountaineer Bunyoshi Hattori, who ventures into a deserted mountain forest with only photographic equipment and minimal equipment to keep him alive. Filming took place at the headwaters of the Sai River in Ishikawa Prefecture in June last year, and in the Waga Mountains in Akita Prefecture in September.

Image left: C.09 (from CAMP) / 2015 / Inkjet print
Image right: C.43 (from CAMP) / 2015 / Inkjet print

For Ishikawa, who has mainly photographed Okinawan people and cities, this will be his first attempt at photographing in a place like a primeval forest where there are no traces of people. I wonder how Mr. Ishikawa felt when he found himself in a shooting environment that was the complete opposite of his usual one.

"I was confused because I was shown something completely different from what I normally see. I didn't know what to photograph. There were no roads, no people, and no hamburger shops. There was nothing that I saw every day. I didn't even know what to look at or how to look at it. So I had no choice but to press the shutter. I didn't really feel like I was taking a picture, and I didn't even know why I was taking it."

During filming, the most vivid scene in his memory was when he was crossing the snowy valley of the Saigawa River when his footing collapsed and he almost died.

``Mr. Hattori told me, ``It's a small snowy valley, so if we don't walk one by one, it will collapse and we'll both be dead.'' So as I started walking, following Hattori's invisible back, I realized that the snowy valley beneath my feet was... It started to collapse.If I fell, I would die, so I ran desperately across the snowy valley, which was collapsing just like in a manga.But I looked back, thinking that I had to take some pictures of this place, to express my fear and feelings. , I pressed the shutter anyway. When I checked the image, it turned out that the camera had malfunctioned and it wasn't showing properly. It seemed like the image that caused that bug was in sync with my mental state at the time."

A person's consciousness shows signs of deep change only when he encounters a different place, time, and person, and immerses himself in them. Did the experience of being out in the open of nature, away from the busy streets of the city, have any impact on the way Mr. Ishikawa perceives the world?

``What I realized is that the city and the mountains are the same.The specific details are different, but everything is alive.That's amazing and scary.''

I can honestly understand the feeling of being amazing. But what does it mean to be scared?

"It means that there is no such thing as safety or stability. Life is always on the edge, and that is the norm. If you try to stabilize something, something will slip somewhere. Stability only lasts for a moment. We've created a comfortable environment to live in, but something about that begins to crumble. ``It's only natural that eating and being eaten go hand in hand. You're eating, so someday you'll be eaten,'' Hattori says. As I wrote in the book, the mountains really remained the same.I thought that the same was true in the city.People should know this, but I thought that the stable daily life that was only an ideal would continue. I think about things like asking for things and safety. I wonder what that means.”

It made me think of 3.11. Humans have built civilizations in order to obtain stability and security. However, if one tiny point becomes unbalanced, then, ironically, they will be killed by the civilization they themselves have created. There is no guarantee that you will be alive even one second later, let alone five minutes later. That's the cold reality. Despite this, we spend our days immersed in the illusion that these peaceful days will last forever. Is he angry about that?

``We're shit because we live our lives without realizing it, and we can't help but want safety and stability, and it's also shit that those ideals don't come true in reality.It's a contradiction. ”

I think it's right to "take on" rather than accept the world.

``Many photographers actively try to capture a moment in search of a single photo with meaning.On the other hand, Ryuichi Ishikawa focuses on how to accept the situation in the photograph through the act of taking a photo. A photographer at the core

This is Nozomi Himeno, the representative of Akakasha, the publisher of ``Sekkei no Polyphony'', ``Okinawan portraits 2010-2012'', and ``adrenamix'', and one of the people who knows photographer Ryuichi Ishikawa best. is the article that praised Mr. Ishikawa. "Accept" is one of the keywords that describe Ishikawa.

However, Ishikawa himself has always felt uncomfortable with the word ``accept''.

``It's true that I've said things like, ``Photographs are a way to accept and think about what's in front of me,'' but in reality, it doesn't feel right or makes sense. At that time, I happened to read Sartre's ``Vomit,'' which contained the phrase ``Don't accept what happens to you, but accept what happens to you.'' I've been stuck with it ever since I found out about it.I think it's more correct to say ``accept'' instead of ``accept''.By using the word ``accept,'' I feel like I'm pretending too much that it has nothing to do with me. It feels like something is being thrown carelessly into a container.However, when you accept something, there are quite a few emotions involved, and even if you think you are accepting something, there is a part of you that is unconsciously choosing it.That's why. , I started to think that the word ``undertake'' might be more correct in its meaning.I can't see it clearly yet, so I can't say anything more about it.It's intuitive, but I think this realization will help me in the future. I think that will be a major point.”

The difference in meaning and nuance between ``accept'' and ``take on'' is probably due to the difference in the level of activeness in dealing with others and the burden they receive from it. Acceptance can be done as long as there is another person, but in order to accept it, it is necessary to be deeply involved. There is a significant difference in the amount of calories spent there.

If the trajectory of Mr. Ishikawa's activities to date is that he has hit the wall of his own expression and restored his connection with the world through photography, then he has gone even further, that is, deepened his perspective from a watcher to an actor. , which overlaps directly with the process of human growth. Just like a baby who can only express himself through crying grows into a boy and young man, and matures into an adult man in the midst of friction with a society that is not always pretty.

At the end of the exhibition hall, works taken with Polaroid cameras are displayed. This photo exhibition, ``When I think about it, it's no longer in front of my eyes,'' and the series of the same name, which started around the same time as ``Polyphony of Spectacular Views'' and ``okinawan portraits 2010-2012,'' are works that are close to Ishikawa's everyday life. The subjects are people and things that are rooted in daily life, such as a certain friend or a meal.

When you think about it, it's not in front of you anymore / 2014-2015 / Peel Apart Type Film

``With Polaroid, you talk to the other person and take pictures in an atmosphere where you feel like you can communicate with each other.It captures a very private and intimate relationship.You can't see or measure that kind of thing, and it disappears quickly. Unlike prints, they cannot be duplicated, so only one copy of the same image remains.I thought Polaroid was suitable for capturing things that only last for a moment.''

It certainly fits the characteristics of instant film, where the image gradually deteriorates and disappears from the moment it is taken, without being completely fixed.

``I take two photos, one for myself and one for the other person.I write words and give them to them.I think it started with Robert Frank.I think anything can be turned into a photo.'' Yes, but I feel like I haven't captured that feeling of intimacy in a photo yet.It's a so-called ``friend photo.'' It's the same as young children taking photos of familiar things with instax cameras.''

Taking photos means taking on the world outside of yourself. Apparently, the last work in the exhibition hall is a photo of a friend taken with an instant camera. One year has passed since his spectacular debut, and Ishikawa is surely about to step onto the first step of the stairs to the next stage. I can't help but imagine Ishikawa's back, saying, "Good job!" as he clicked the shutter button.