Naoto Shimura is a graduate of the Department of Film Studies, where he studied primarily sound design and has cultivated an ability to capture soundscapes so far.
(However, in his pictures,) there are no sounds, even though he takes photos of places where various sounds seem to be heard.
So are they barren pictures?
Quite the opposite, there is a potential in them more than anything.
It is like the silence just before a sound appears.
The moment of silence, knowing that a sound will surely come out next.
His pictures capture the time and space just before the moment when a sound comes out, colors become vivid and life comes alive.
That’s how I feel.-Yoko Satoh (from the commentary)
The artist, Naoto Shimura takes photos of usual scenery as if picking them up with his ears carefully.
He hopes when people look at his works, it will jog their memories of the past they have long forgotten.
The experience will also lead to a performative one to create new memories with the record of the past in photography.
In addition, soundscapes he created in conjunction with this photo book are available here.
Please try listening to them while viewing his book to feel his world in a three-dimensional and multilayered way.
Author: Naoto Shimura
Edit: Daisuke Morishita
Graphic Design: Makoto Shoji,ebitai design
Description: Yoko Sato
Dimensions: 216×244mm
Pages: 72
Number of illustrations: 36 color, 13 b&w images
Binding: case bind
First edition: 60 copies
Price: ¥4000
ISBN 978-4-9909567-6-9