All posts filed under: Photography

The Americans by Robert Frank

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As I mentioned a few weeks ago I thought it would be interesting to talk about a classic photography book with others. There is a Japanese phrase Ju nin to iro which means 10 people 10 colors i.e. we all perceive the world a slightly different way. I’d be delighted to hear how you see the images in the book. For me the cover image of the street car in New Orleans is one of the most powerful. A clear reminder that when Robert Frank made his journey across America in 1955/1956 the divisions between races were very clear. It was December 1st 1955 that Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat for a white passenger. The image of the rodeo rider is another of my favorites, what strikes me is just how wiry and sinuous he appears. For me it seems to speak of a time when heroes, and perhaps America in general, were leaner. So there you go, anyone else want to share their thoughts?

Island Icons – Motorcycle Police

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Ryukyu Riders Katsue Oshiro and Matsuri Kuniyoshi are Okinawa’s two female police motorcyclists. Why did you become motorcycle police officers? K.O.  “I joined the police force because I wanted a career that would let me help others. When I got to choose my specialty, I decided to become a motorcycle officer, even though I’d never ridden a bike before. It looked like such a cool thing to do as a career.” M.K. “I rode a motorbike when I was in high school, and even got caught by the police a couple of times. I decided that I wanted to ride bikes for a living, and joined the police with the one goal of becoming a motorcycle police officer.” What special training do police riders receive? “The police bikes we use are 750cc Honda VFR’s. Once you’ve added sirens, lights, speakers and panniers, they become quite large and heavy. We do a lot of training to improve our maneuverability on the bikes. We have to be able to turn them around in tight spaces and weave …

On the bookshelf: A Shadow Falls

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A Shadow Falls is a impressive book. Impressive in its physical size (nearly 16 x 13 inches). Impressive in its vision (vast African savanas). Impressive in its goals (to memorialize the vanishing natural grandeur of East Africa). The images are stunning. The tritone plates have a mesmerizing quality to them. Although the shots of elephants are perhaps the most famous examples of his work I found the images of the wildebeest migration the most powerful. Enjoy.

The Fall

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The Fall is a fascinating movie, particularly for those with an interest in photography or film. The director, Tarsem, has a background in commercials and music videos, which may have lead to his strong visual style. In fact, the theme of the movie appears to be about  the power of images and storytelling.  The movie begins with a stunning steam train sequence in black and white. It then splits into two clear parts, the muted reality of life in a hospital and the saturated surealism of the storyteller’s tale. There is an interesting scene in the hospital where light streams through a keyhole projecting  the inverted silhouette of a horse on the wall. On one level the director may have just enjoyed demonstrating a naturally occurring  camera obscura, or it might have been to lead the viewer into thoughts about our perceptions of reality. The highlight of the hospital scenes is the 8 year old Catinca Untaru who is perhaps the best child actor I have seen. The images from the story are stunning. Filmed over …

Island Icon – Fashion Designer Kanna Yamauchi

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A Sense of Style It was during a visit to Paris when Kanna Yamauchi originally decided she would become a fashion designer. Some may say it was inevitable and that a sense of style was in her blood – her mother has been one of Okinawa’s top designers for more than thirty years. Upon her return to Okinawa, Kanna quit her job as a tour guide, enrolled in fashion art college, and hasn’t looked back. Now age 32, Kanna has received several design awards, gained prefectural sponsorship, and set up her own company, Yokang. Where do the ideas for your designs come from? “I grew up in Yanaburu; it’s very rural so you’re always surrounded by nature. The mountains, trees, ocean and flowers of Okinawa have all influenced the patterns in my clothes. When designing a new article, I think about the structure of the dress or shirt, and then work out which material and pattern will best fit that particular piece. While studying at college, I spent my afternoons helping my mother make clothes …

Island Icons – Artist Naka Bokunen

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Bokunen was born on the small Okinawan island of Izena in 1953. As a child, he always carried a sketchbook, and drew pictures of the island’s creatures and landscapes. At that time, he never imagined a career as an artist, and thought he would become either a fisherman or a carpenter. His talent, however, did not go unnoticed. One of his teachers recommended that he attend an art-based high school on the main island of Okinawa. After graduation, Bokunen became a graphic designer and set up his own design production company, Project Core. It is his skills as a woodblock artist that have gained him them most recognition. His colorful, dream-like prints were used for the Kyoto Climate Conference in 1997, the G8 Summit in 2000, and in numerous exhibitions across Japan. What process do you go through to create the prints? “I begin with a vague idea of what the image will be like, but as soon as I start to carve the wood, things change. The whole process is very fluid, almost like …

Island Icons – Ceramic Artist Nick Centala

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In the December issue of Okinawa Living magazine there’s an interview I did with ceramic artist Nick Centala. I’ve added the extended text and a few images below for people who can’t get hold of the magazine. Potter with a Magic Touch Okinawa’s most valuable asset is its people. This month we meet Nick Centala, a ceramic artist using traditional firing techniques to produce modern designs. Nick Centala was born in Los Angeles. At 18 he joined the U.S. Navy as a corpsman and over the next 4 years he was based in San Diego and Okinawa. After the military, Nick studied pre-med to become a doctor, but a return visit to Okinawa steered his life down a different path. In 2001, he spent five weeks learning about sculpting shîsâ with Okinawan potter Miyagi Shojin. A consuming passion for pottery grew from this experience. He switched his life goals from medicine to art, and became an apprentice to a potter in Kumamoto. After 3 months, he was offered a job managing a large wood-burning oven …