YUKIKO TANNO
Photographer

Statement

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“The current of the flowing river does not cease, and yet the water is not the same water as before.“ -Kamo no Chômei

 

My work explores the flow and change in all things.This phrase is taken from the classical essay 'Hôjôki', written by Kamo no Chômei. Even if a landscape seems to be the same a second before, or a second after, it will never be the same landscape. Chômei also stated in this essay: “Everything will change and pass away.“ Nothing has only one form. I'm not religious, but I believe in something, even if it's not visible to the human eye. Everything in this world is fleeting, but even short-lived wind or lights can be strong. It feels like a god dwells in that kind of moment. I consider and try to capture this in my works.That is the mission of an artist both thousands of years ago as well as today.

“The same moment will never exist twice.“
Especially while taking photos I can feel, accept and receive this impression. In ourlives we share the sensation that everything changes and passes rapidly. But the truth is, that everything is subjected to a constant process of transformation, changing slowly and imperceptibly. - Imperceptibly means not noticeable and therefore difficult to be seen or felt. Still, clear examples of these processes can be found in the waxing and waning of the moon, the growth of plants and also human bodies which are dying little by little. It may be difficult to realize such small things in this age of information-overflow, but I think we must not forget even the smallest change.

While the universe and nature change little by little in one direction, people continuing to repeat mistakes, history repeating itself and repeated conflicts are also points of interest for me. Why is it that even though the human body grows in one direction and towards death, the mind is still so complex and difficult to understand? Why does society repeats its mistakes? Sometimes I despair at these times and thoughts of chaos, but knowing them and deepening my understanding of them became, above all, the motivation for my work.