T H E TA I S H O PHOTOGRAPHER’S HOUSE
T H E TA I S H O P H OTOG R A P H E R ’ S HOUSE exhibition ready work
CREDITS
T H A N K YO U
CURATION - Madeleine Tuckf ield-Carrano
www.artsite.com.au
RESEARCH - Florian Seidel
Hamish Campbell
www.abandonedkansai.com
TRANSLATION - Yuna Tsuda
Thank you for taking the time to view this project. It’s an ongoing work which has consumed the bulk of my time these last two years. If you have any further questions about the work, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
www.hamish-campbell.com hamish@hamish-campbell.com 080 4010 3170 (Japan)
CINEMATOGRAPHY - Irwin Wong
04
(02) 9715 3351 (Australia)
www.irwinwong.com
The Taisho Photographer’s House
CO N T E N T S
T H E S TO R Y 08 I N T R O D U C TO R Y V I D E O
5 minutes, 46 seconds
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T H E S TO R Y
The house, the f ind, the project
THE WORK 2 2 I N G R E S S I I I
A stitched work comprised of 6 images
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CO M F O R T I N F I N A L I T Y
Artist’s statement
T H E P L AT E S 14 CO L L E C T I O N A N D DOC U M E N TAT I O N
B ackground to the plates
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I M AG E S - 6 S E L E C T P L AT E S
THE SHOW
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THE HOUSE
The importance of the house as a home
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F R O M T H E D U S T TO T H E WA L L
D etails of exhibition
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ARCHITECTURAL RESPONSE
Video: Patrick O’Carrigan speaks on the work
3 5 F U R T H E R R E F L E C T I O N S
Patrick O’Carrigan summarises the work
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T H E S TO R Y
DEEP IN A BAMBOO GROVE I found an old house
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T H E S TO R Y
C L I C K T H E I M AG E F O R A N I N
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T H E S TO R Y
N T R O D U C TO R Y V I D E O (5:46)
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T H E S TO R Y
“Hidden within a small closet on the second floor, however, was a discovery which left me obsessed with this location for about 18 months.”
AN INCREDIBLE FIND Abandoned places are an alluring subject matter for many photographers. Japan is a treasure trove of abandoned places, or “haikyo”, due to a perfect storm of an ageing population, a burst economic bubble in the 80s, and land tax loop holes. Blogs such as Abandoned Kansai do a fantastic job cataloging these locations, which vary from simple family homes all the way to entire abandoned theme parks. One such family home grabbed my attention in late 2014, and I have visited it many times since in an ongoing attempt to document it. This house was built during the Taisho Era of Japan (1912-1926) and was abandoned some time in the 70s or 80s. Apart from its unique mix of Western and Japanese architecture, the site may appear somewhat tame compared to the excitement promised by larger haikyos like hospitals or schools. Hidden within a small closet on the second f loor, however, was a discovery which left me obsessed with this location for about 18 months. This closet was in fact a dark room, and it was f illed with over 200 glass plate negatives taken by a photographer almost 100 years ago.
These plates offer us an unprecedented look into the lives of the man and family who once lived in this house. We see the house’s construction, the photographer’s wedding, neighboring friends and family, and all manner of daily vignettes featuring recurring characters including a pet monkey. I have photographed all the non-destroyed glass plates in an attempt to preserve the images from the slow march of time which is consuming them and the property. I have also extensively photographed the property myself, in addition to producing images blending the two time periods, matching the original photographer’s locations with my own. There is a tendency when viewing images of ruins to assume that the decay is indicative of some huge tragic event, when in reality the f inal days of these sites were likely often very peaceful and anti climactic. When I think about this particular abandoned place, I am f illed with a calm and peaceful sense of ease, especially now that we have proof of the full and happy life lived and documented by this Taisho era photographer. Talking to the local council and tracking down several distant relatives of the family, I have come up short in f inding any living direct descendants, although my research is ongoing.
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T H E P L AT E S
WINDOWS IN TO A FO RGOTTEN WORLD Left in the dust
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T H E P L AT E S
“Recurring characters sprang to life, pets came and went, mothers became grandmothers and even the genesis of the house itself was laid bare.�
S M A S H E D A N D R OT T E N , B U T F U L L O F L I F E
There were over 200 glass negatives inside the darkroom. Sadly, many of them were smashed by vandals, or too heavily damaged by time and nature to discern any kind of image from their surface.
The beautiful double exposure on the adjacent page is a serendipitous example of this. This was not an intentional trick of the photographer nor the result of any post processing of my own.
I painstakingly rephotographed all that I could, and once I started seeing the resulting positives, I realised just how special this f ind was. Recurring characters sprang to life, pets came and went, mothers became grandmothers and even the genesis of the house itself was laid bare.
These two seperate self portraits of the photographer himself were completely fused by mud when I found them, and any attempt to remove them would surely result in their destruction. Instead I shot them together, and the new image which was produced is greater than the sum of its parts.
I have chosen to do virtually no restoration to any of the plates. Partly because they are extremely fragile, and even a simple washing risks stripping the emulsion and the image, but also because I feel that these are now artifacts whose very physical form tells part of their own story, sometimes adding further meaning, and to clean them up would rob them of this.
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T H E P L AT E S
Of particular interest in the plates is the construction of this beautiful and unique house. We see every step of the way, from the site being excavated, to the framework being laid, to its completed state. It involves the work of an entire community, and many of these people are featured in portraits throughout the collection. The house is an unusual amalgam of a European front section and traditional Japanese annex, showing the family was likely quite educated and well off. Architects have been especially intrigued by the story and the and craftsmanship on display in these old exposures, which highlight this distinct period of Japanese history; an important cultural turning point. I have spent countless hours cataloguing and preserving these plates, and this project, while already in a complete exhibition form, is still ongoing as I attempt to track down a family member to return them to.
I have interviewed distant relatives still living in the area, as well as poured over documents in the local town hall attempting to trace the family lineage, but so far have been unable to locate a direct descendant. I still hold out hope that I will be able to return these beautiful heirlooms to a rightful owner, and perhaps understand a bit more of this incredible photographer’s personal story. Ultimately, I would like to publish the full collection of plates alongside a conclusion to this story. Obviously, I do not intend to take credit away from the original photographer of these beautiful images. I present these images as artifacts from the past, and use them as a reference point of what once was, in order to highlight the effects of the passage of time, but at the same time to counter balance it and remind viewers of the wonderful warm life that was once lived in this now decaying space. A home is as a womb; a place which nurtures life. In these plates we witness the birth of this house, the comfort and safety it provides to those within its walls, and ultimately, its purpose fulfilled, it peacefully returns to the earth.
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THE WORK
H E R E, THERE, NOW, THEN A nexus of time and place
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THE WORK
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THE WORK
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THE WORK
CO M F O R T I N F I N A L I T Y In all my work, before this project and since, my focus is on isolation. I visit landscapes of extreme remoteness, such as the Shetland or Faroe Islands, as well as residential and industrial ruins around Japan. As an Australian living in Japan, I am isolated geographically, culturally and socially. I will never be fully naturalised into this culture. To many people, that one might never be able to feel completely at home is a disturbing thought. Yet somehow I f ind comfort in these feelings. Imperfection is like a security blanket. Knowing that I am a part of this society outside a def ined role allows me the freedom and clarity to exist on my
own terms. Similarly, visiting windswept cliffsides or sites long abandoned instills in me a feeling of peace through acceptance of f inality. When all turns to dust and is forgotten, what do the petty concerns of our short lives matter? Some may f ind this outlook bleak or nihilistic, but I f ind great reassurance in these thoughts and these spaces. When you look through the layers of dirt and decay on these images, and see the signs of nature calmly reclaiming what once was its own, there is a sense not of loss, but of coming home.
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THE WORK
“When all turns to dust and is forgotten, what do the petty concerns of our short lives matter?”
Of utmost importance to me with this project is the idea that isolation and decay need not be a frightening or negative thing.
These “Nexus” images show the decrepit state of things now starkly contrasted with the happy and full life lived by the previous residents of the house.
To this end, across seven visits to the site, copious reference notes and planning, I was able to match many of the images from the glass plates with real world locations today.
We see the bridge entering the genkan for the f irst time, only now the roof has collapsed in and plants are sprouting up from between the f loorboards.
By rephotographing these spaces just as the original photographer did, and combining his images with my own, I am bridging the gap between these two eras.
We see a woman seated by the second story window, listening to music with her dog, only now the curtains have crumbled away and the wall is cracked and collapsing.
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THE WORK
“The photographer himself poses for a self portrait on the tatami floor, now long rotted away after the roof’s collapse.”
Workers busy themselves with a tea plantation in open and fertile farmland, which is now an overgrown tangle of bamboo, slowly encroaching on the property itself, some of it pushing through the ceiling of the property. The photographer himself poses for a self portrait on the tatami f loor, now long rotted away after the roof’s collapse. Cups, furniture and family photos which are proudly displayed in the negatives are now littered amongst the house; broken or not they are no longer needed by those who once sat happily together, laughing and living.
I do not know what ultimately became of this family. It is very tempting, when looking at the state of the house now, to imagine some tragic event befell them. I hope I might f ind some sense of closure to the story as I continue my research, but closure is not something that the house itself needs. The house was clearly once a bustling hub of life and love, and now we can happily say goodnight to it, as it peacefully returns to the earth.
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THE SHOW
From one le ns to anothe r 100 years in the making
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THE SHOW
“Hamish Campbell is a photographer with an exacting eye for detail and rigorous exploration of ideas. A serious technician, his prints are both didactic and highly nuanced…”
Patrick O’Carrigan, FRAIA
F R O M T H E D U S T TO T H E WA L L After a successful f irst showing of the work in May 2016 in Sydney, I am looking for international galleries interested in representing the work.
although depending on gallery preference (and subject to shipping requirements) later editions can be displayed with alternative mounting.
The show consists of approximately 30 images. One third are prints depicting the orig inal Taisho Photog rapher’s images, recontextualised as artifacts from the past. Another third are details of the house in its current state. The last third are the meeting point of both worlds, a nexus of time and place.
All prints are in an edition of 8 plus 2 Artist Proofs, with the exception of several small detail works which are an edition of 12+2AP.
The show also includes several audio visual elements. The video on page 8 of this publication is available to be displayed within the gallery, in addition to a slideshow feauting the full catalogue of glass plates, and a peaceful recording of birdsong taken from on location at the house can be utilised for ambient sound. Finally, several of the glass plates in their original form can be displayed using a lightbox (provided a familial link has not been found and the plates returned by the time of exhibition). The images themselves were all produced on a medium form digital camera and are almost entirely printed by myself in my studio in Tokyo. The majoriy of the prints are approximately 40x53cm archival pigment prints on Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl stock. The f irst edition prints have been mounted on archival alupanel and spray sealed,
There are three large works, the largest being 112x250cm, although depending on space these can be excluded or with discussion a smaller edition could be opened and produced. In the case of larger works, they are produced on the same stock by my personal printer in Sydney based on proofs produced by me, to ensure consistency. All prints are hand signed, editioned, and accompanied by a certif icate of authenticity with a security hologram. The show in Sydney drew a large crowd and resulted in signif icant sales. People from many walks of life found myriad details in the story to identify with, and many visitors stayed in the gallery for upwards of an hour, viewing each work multiple times and watching the entire slideshow. Japan is now more than ever present in the imagination of the West, and the mystery of this story has proved undeniably alluring.
Click the image to the right for a video of heritage architect Patrick O’Carrigan’s response to the work.
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Crowd at opening of The Taisho Photographer’s House, Artsite Gallery Sydney, Sunday 8th May 2016
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THE SHOW
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THE SHOW
Hamish Campbell is a photog rapher with an exacting eye for detail and rigorous exploration of ideas. A serious technician, his prints are both didactic and highly nuanced – the shadows, the palimpsest, the tonal play. In continuing his exploration of abandoned places in contemporary Japan, Hamish has now moved beyond merely recording the past through the current viewfinder. In this exhibition, through the serendipitous finding of ancient glass plates, he has fused the past and present. In this his approach is reminiscent of the exploration of Erich Consemüller at the Bauhaus, 1926 such as Mechanical fantasy 1 and 2. In these hand-forged images, we confront youthful endeavour and ancient traditions. Our mind is drawn into the private realm of a long departed family man, his young bride, the children, pets and even the workers and builders. We see the self in reflection, where only shadows are found now.
Over time entropy and decay cannot halt the march of bamboo. Nonetheless, as a documentary exercise, Hamish has now secured for these once treasured plates, a permanence beyond the artefact. As an architect, I am drawn to the curious conjunction of the c.1922 desig n – part traditional and tatamied single storey + part Euro/ Germanic decorative upper level. This clash contrives to elevate the modern above the bund, perhaps a manifestation of the democratic ambitions of the Taisho era in post WWI Japan. These young [male] workers were entitled to vote for the first time in 1926. Contrast this innocence with the posture of the Photog rapher here, assured in his elan, adept at using advanced technolog ies, comfortable in his gaze.
Patrick O’Carrigan FRAIA Architect April 2016
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THE SHOW
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THE SHOW
THE HOME IS AS A WOMB
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T H A N K YO U
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“On all sides, as far as the eye could reach, rose the grass-covered heaps marking the site of ancient habitations. The great tide of civilisation had long since ebbed, leaving these scattered wrecks on the solitary shore. Are those waters to flow again, bearing back the seeds of knowledge and of wealth that they have wafted to the West? We wanderers were seeking what they had left behind, as children gather up the coloured shells on the deserted sands. At my feet there was a busy scene, making more lonely the unbroken solitude which reigned in the vast plain around, where the only thing having life or motion were the shadows of the lofty mounds as they lengthened before the declining sun.� Austen Henry Layard
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T H E TA I S H O PHOTOGRAPHER’S HOUSE