Stetement by Seiji Komatsu

Photographic Deeds and New Ways of Seeing

A fisherman uses a pole or net to catch fish.
I feel that my photographic activities are in some way similar.
Entering physically into the setting,
I manipulate the photographic apparatus and shoot,
much as one would lay a snare.
Altering the configuration of equipment
and settings allows me to change the way in which I see and capture.
Dangling this‘ line’ into nature creates
ripples on the surface ̶ subtle transformations.
I get the feeling that these minute reactions are the very things
that provide us a new viewpoint to the familiarity of everyday life,
and lead us to extraordinary places.

SHIELD / 2013
With the shutter fixed open, I enter the frame and proceed to draw
a shield of light with an instrument something like a protractor.
I feel as though I am entering into a large format camera.
Familiar settings. A transformation into extraordinary spaces.

Falling Light / 2011
Much like dribbling water drops from an eyedropper onto a water surface,
I capture several thousand strobe flashes with an 8 × 10 film and long exposure times.
An undulating surface destroys the circular nature of the light drops,
scattering grains of light that penetrate to the bottom and overtake the entire frame.
From the controlled and concrete to the chaotic and abstract.

Interrupted Places / 1998
The objects of focus are everyday places in their natural state;
unremarkable objects in scenes that do not catch the eye.
I enclose parts of such scenery within adjoining concrete walls, isolating them.
I work to recreate documentaries of the everyday into everyday spaces of the imagination.

Hideo Kobayashi is a photographer based in Tokyo, Japan.
To view more of Hideo Kobayashi's work, please visit his website.