Japanese stab binding, indigo paper, amate paper
STEPS IN THE SHADOWS
While traveling in Japan, I was recalling the wonderful book by Junichiro Tanizaki In Praise of Shadows. I was interested in finding his Japan, old Japan, pure and free from the influence of the West. I wanted to connect to the true, poetic spirit of it. And that spirit, perhaps, became most apparent in situations when the light was dim, in the shadows, or in twilight. I was immersing myself in the darkness and discovering its beauty and tranquility. I was finding delight not only in the subject, “but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness that one thing against another creates”, and it was a truly spiritual experience.
These images were taken on my trip to Japan in August 2018 and printed on Shiramine paper. I created a handmade book of these images.