Traces - Tomonori Ozawa

Spreading under the auspicious protection of Kannon and of the haven of wealth, Uraga-Suidô has been since time immemorial a gate to Japanese eastern lands, the theater of many flamboyant demonstrations of power, love and dedication. Commodore Perry landed on these shores at the end of the 19th century, forcing Japan into the reopening of its frontiers after more than 200 years of seclusion. It is also into this bay that the wife of legendary hero Yamato Takeru is said to have leapt, in order to appease the ire of the sea god and allow her husband to succeed in his campaign. Real or legendary, these events have shaped the history of Japan, and marked the beginnings and ends of eras.

Now the pass is mainly frequented by cargo ships. Yet even these massive and drab purveyors of everyday goods leave their trace, not in the flow of history, but more concretely in the flow of the bay's waters. Patiently capturing these traces with his camera, Tomonori Ozawa reveals their unsuspected beauty, brings an aura of magic and poetry to the most prosaic actors of our industrial and consumption societies, and to the polluted shores of Uraga-Suidô. With an almost pictorial quality, the boats become ethereal bands of colour on the horizon, bringing together sky and sea, man and nature, in timeless harmony.

Valérie Douniaux

limited edition of 500

stock number: NB109