By T.I., Hiroshima Prefecture
- 喜多研一 KEN-ICHI KITA
- Sep 14
- 2 min read
"Gaze Creeping Over the Ground: A Look at Kenichi Kita's Photo Collection"
Turn the page and follow the author's gaze.
What was it about that landscape that inspired him to take the photo while walking?
These are landscapes that wouldn't be associated with the typical image of "Tokyo."
An alley lined with rusty corrugated iron and a dilapidated house that looks like it will soon be completely covered by vegetation.
A scene that was left out during development.
A building that was expanded, reduced, expanded, and renovated without any regard for urban planning.
A street like a path for animals.
The vitality of weeds growing from cracks in the ground and gaps in torn sheets.
These landscapes, intentionally photographed without visible people, convey a sense of human activity that certainly existed in the past, yet they also feel a bit like something out of a dream.
It seems like a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has died out and is quickly returning to nature.
However, I also used to enjoy walking around Tokyo in search of scenes like this.
When I felt suffocated by the neat, artificial, and planned city landscape, I searched for a place that was outside of human expectations.
A small forest in the city.
Outdoor potted plants. Ivy climbing the wall.
The slightly unplanned expansion of the building.
Rusty corrugated iron and faded, cracked walls. Aging and decay.
There, you can feel the accumulation of time and history.
Layers of time stacked up.
I thought to myself, this is the trace of life of humans and other living things, and I took a deep breath.
Perhaps Kita is documenting these small human activities (and nature within the city) that don't emerge from the inorganic image of Tokyo, a metropolis where construction and scrapping are constantly repeated.
A record of the surface of Tokyo, Japan on the Earth.
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