Anonymity. It's almost impossible in this day and age when everything can be traced back to you and everyone can be followed. You can find out what a person likes just by typing in their name and looking at their profile. Obsession. Loss of individuality. Voyeurism. Worshipping. It's insane that we choose to put ourselves out there in such a pure form that a stranger can learn about who we are by simply looking at a screen. That's the initial reason I decided to look into Shizuka Yokomizo's work.
She plays with the idea of who a stranger is.
She plays with the idea of who a stranger is.
How would you define a 'stranger'? Up until now I'm fairly certain I would've imagined someone I've just met and haven't been introduced to. Someone I've not talked to.
For Yokomizo a stranger is someone she will only see once for ten minutes through a window. Someone she knows nothing about. Her strangers are blank canvases she's chosen by the accidental happenstance of them living in the houses she's sent a letter to. She doesn't know who they are yet she's bold. She allows them to take part or to refuse. She never meets them. There's nothing but the images capturing this 'meeting' from afar.
The six portraits from 'Stranger' series:
The six portraits from 'Stranger' series:
With our personal worlds shaped by relationships of differing degrees of intimacy, the idea of a stranger interested me for being one of non-intimacy almost by definition. [1]
Born in Japan, Yokomizo moved to England in '89 to study graphic design but soon realized that she wanted to pursue photography and film instead. The 'Stranger' series developed after Yokomizo took photographs of her friends asleep in their rooms (series 'Sleeping'). She liked the idea of mental and physical distance which then lead towards the exploration of the relationship between an artist, a subject and the viewer.
All of the people in the 'Stranger' portraits have an important role - to be themselves. There are no other connections, nothing else that can tell the viewer - or even Yokomizo herself - what's going on behind the scenes, and no one else can dictate what the image should look like and how it should be composed.
The division between public and private has changed massively over this time period for many reasons. And taken as a whole, this is much more significant, I think, than cultural differences. [3]
All of the people in the 'Stranger' portraits have an important role - to be themselves. There are no other connections, nothing else that can tell the viewer - or even Yokomizo herself - what's going on behind the scenes, and no one else can dictate what the image should look like and how it should be composed.
I think that's the most mesmerising fact of all - these people chose to welcome a stranger into their homes. Even the window is no barrier as Yokomizo requested the people to look into the camera for ten minutes straight, meaning she and the people held eye contact for quite a long period of time.
When I first looked at these images, I didn't see much. I only saw the colours, the lights and the aspect ratio (which are wonderful! I really like the photo that's quite cool in comparison to the warmer ones. I also like how the aspect ratio gives the subject a space but doesn't show us too much). The technical side.
But the longer I looked, the more I felt like I knew who these strangers were. And that's incredible. I'm at a loss for words. That's a phrase that can be thrown around quite a bit but it's difficult to explain the connection I feel to those images. Perhaps my mind's straying too far off the topic but I think that the photos that tell a real story are the most valuable ones.
The most interesting thing is that when asked to cite her inspirations, Yokomizo says she's passionate about Keith Haring, Gilbert & George and Joseph Beuys. She says that what she creates now has come from what she's learnt and the way her perspective has changed. Some people are their own inspirations, I suppose.
Bibliography:
[1] Yokomizo, Shizuka (2002) Shizuka Yokomizo. Milano: Electa
[2] Yokomizo, Shizuka (1999-2000) Stranger. At: http://www.shizukayokomizo.com/6/4592958791 (Accessed on 3/10/17)
[3] What are you looking at? (2010) Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera. At: http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/what-are-you-looking (Accessed on 2/10/17)
[2] Yokomizo, Shizuka (1999-2000) Stranger. At: http://www.shizukayokomizo.com/6/4592958791 (Accessed on 3/10/17)
[3] What are you looking at? (2010) Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera. At: http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/what-are-you-looking (Accessed on 2/10/17)
I really like the way you have taken the photography exercise (take a picture of a stranger) and used this as inspiration for deeper thought exploring the relationship between photographer and subject. The photographs of Shizuka Yokomizo are fascinating not only for what the subjects choose to reveal but also because the act of taking a photograph clearly is a negotiated action between subject and photographer even though they never meet, as she still gives the subject the opportunity to portray how they wish to be percieved The 'mise - en - scene' of the rooms and clothing give us so many clues about the individuals too, don't they? Learning about the processes behind how images are negotiated helps us think more deeply about the power between the taker and the 'taken'. You mention Keith Haring, Gilbert and George and Joseph Beuys (this last is one of my favourites) as her passions - have you explored them at all to consider why they might have interested her? Good post, nicely presented and I hope you continue to develop your stranger project further.
ReplyDeleteI thought I would look at the tate etc article you referred to. Very thought provoking and I think that Shizuka came up with a sensible ethical solution to photographing strangers that deftly avoided the issues of voyeurism and surveillance.
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