Naoya Hatakeyama: BLAST
Naoya Hatakeyama: BLAST
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Naoya Hatakeyama, "BLAST"
Through the use of "dynamite," a tool of civilization, mountains crumble and transform into stone, becoming the foundation of cities.
Naoya Hatakeyama pursued the moment of explosion in quarries across Japan.
At first, I was shooting with a large-format camera (4x5), but I could only take one picture per blast.
To better capture the rhythm of the explosions, I switched to a compact SLR camera with a motor drive.
Also, I tried taking pictures from a distance using a telephoto lens, but...
Because the angle of view made the "distance" visible, and I felt that something important was missing from the photograph,
I ultimately chose to shoot with a standard lens.
While waiting for the blast, the walls of the mine office bore the inscription: "Fear nature not, but neither despise it; always keep God in your heart."
That phrase was written on the sign.
After that, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred while I was printing "BLAST".
His hometown of Rikuzentakata, and the cement factory in Ofunato where the filming began, were also affected by the disaster.
The human figure standing between nature and technology.
Its small size, and the power it can wield at the same time.
This work marks a turning point, revealing the "narrative" that Hatakeyama has consciously excluded from his previous works.
It became an important starting point that led to the later "Rikuzentakata" series.
The book design was done by Shin Sobue.
Hatakeyama felt this way every time he encountered Sobue's intelligence, judgment, and sense of humor.
He says that he remembers Kiyoji Otsuji, whom he once studied under.
As he said, "There's no one more like Otsuji than Sobue."
This book also contains a quiet sense of respect for the author's mentor.
The cover has a folded structure, and when unfolded, it becomes a B2-sized poster.
Furthermore, it's designed so that it can also be used as a cover with a different illustration.
Thanks to Sobue's design, this book transcends the format of a mere photo album.
It has been sublimated into a single, formative experience.
[Title] BLAST
[Publisher] Shogakukan
[Publication Date] September 7, 2013 (First Edition)
[Number of pages] 80 pages
[Size] Approx. 21 x 29.9 x 1.2 cm, 0.68 kg
[Format] Hardcover
[Title Reading] Blast
[Author(s), Editor(s), etc.] Naoya Hatakeyama/Author, Shin Sobue + Kei Shibata (cozfish)/Design, Yoshiro Shimizu/Editor
[Printing] Dainippon Printing Co., Ltd./Printing, Wakabayashi Bookbinding Factory/Bookbinding
[ISBN] 978-4-09-682064-3
[Condition] Used 【 5 】Average (Slight tape residue on the back cover)
[Accessories] Cover
[Published in]
[Related Exhibitions]
Naoya Hatakeyama (1958-)
Born in 1958 in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture.
He studied under Kiyoji Otsuji at the University of Tsukuba, and after graduating, he has been based in Tokyo, continuing to present works that explore the relationship between nature, the city, and photography.
He is particularly known for his works that feature artificial landscapes inherent in the Japanese landscape, such as the limestone quarries that spread near his birthplace, urban underground waterways, dams, and factories.
In 2001, he was selected as the Japanese representative for the Venice Biennale, and he has also addressed social themes, such as photographing his hometown of Rikuzentakata, which was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
He was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal in 2015.
Currently, in addition to working as a photographer, he serves as a professor at the graduate school of Tokyo University of the Arts, dedicating himself to nurturing the next generation of photographers.
In 1997, he won the 22nd Kimura Ihei Photo Award for his photo collection "LIME WORKS," among other works.
In 2001, he won the 42nd Mainichi Arts Award for "Underground".
<Related Figures>
Naoya Hatakeyama , Shin Sobue
