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Masaru Aikawa “Wish You Were Here”
Eitoeiko
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Artists
Masaru Aikawa
Two computers are connected via Skype. In front of one computer is the artist’s subject. In front of the other is the artist with a pinhole camera he built himself. With his camera connected to the monitor, the artist is ready to photograph his subjects, who are located almost anywhere in the world. Through various systems and social networks such as Skype and Facebook, Masaru Aikawa ventures into the private spaces of his subjects to capture their images. Lit only by the digital channel connected to the wider world, his subjects strike poses and remain still for 30 seconds, which is the exposure time needed to capture their images. The new and old intersect through time via the analog pinhole camera, an out-of-date technology, and a digital web camera, a state-of-the art one.
Masaru Aikawa’s idea for this work began to take shape after the Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011, when the only means of communication available to many people in the disaster-stricken region were social networking tools such as Facebook. Amid the vast amount of information flowing through the Internet, fleeting communications are kept on record through photographic imagery.
Another project using this system is “Postcards,” which Masaru Aikawa produces using a live camera at sightseeing spots around the world. When the right moment presents itself on the monitor, he captures the image with a pinhole camera attached to the top of the web-cam. “Postcards” fulfill viewers’ curiosity by photographing distant scenery on the spot. Within this system, photography is taken and exhibited simultaneously and diametrically, presenting images of an intimate photograph of a friend or acquaintance and landscapes that can be viewed publicly over the Internet. Aikawa’s work demonstrates the properties and social issues of both the Internet and photography.
Masaru Aikawa’s idea for this work began to take shape after the Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011, when the only means of communication available to many people in the disaster-stricken region were social networking tools such as Facebook. Amid the vast amount of information flowing through the Internet, fleeting communications are kept on record through photographic imagery.
Another project using this system is “Postcards,” which Masaru Aikawa produces using a live camera at sightseeing spots around the world. When the right moment presents itself on the monitor, he captures the image with a pinhole camera attached to the top of the web-cam. “Postcards” fulfill viewers’ curiosity by photographing distant scenery on the spot. Within this system, photography is taken and exhibited simultaneously and diametrically, presenting images of an intimate photograph of a friend or acquaintance and landscapes that can be viewed publicly over the Internet. Aikawa’s work demonstrates the properties and social issues of both the Internet and photography.
Schedule | Jan 11 (Sat) 2014-Feb 8 (Sat) 2014 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Eitoeiko | ||||
| Location | 32-2 Yaraicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0805 | ||||
| Access | 5 minute walk from exit 2 at Kagurazaka Station on the Tozai line, 10 minute walk from exit A1 at Ushigome-kagurazaka Station on the Toei Oedo line, 12 minute walk from exit 2 at Edogawabashi Station on the Yurakucho line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6873-3830 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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