Kazuya Urakawa’s Artist book “The Sumida River Almanac” IS NOW AVAILABLE!

03/11/2022

We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting orders for Kazuya Urakawa’s Artist book “The Sumida River Almanac”

Urakawa started fixed-point observation of the Sumida River around 2012, and in parallel, he had been researching the history of the Sumida River. The project will run for a full year through 2020, taking daily photographs from a fixed point of observation. This project is an attempt to reconsider the time that surrounds us through the contrast between the minute changes that appear in the fixed-point observations and the major changes that have been etched in the history of the Sumida River.

Reminders Photography Stronghold will hold an exhibition related to this work entitled ‘The Sumida River Almanac’. The exhibition will run from March 12th to 27th.
The artist will be in the gallery during the exhibition period, and will be working on the book at the gallery.

We look forward to seeing you at the exhibition too.

I have kept on a fixed-point observation of the Sumida River from since around 2012. The surface of the water always looks different depending on the weather or the ebb and flow, and the trees along the river show a variety of expressions through all seasons. In addition, the river view never looks the same from one moment to the others in changes of the boats that pass by the water, the architectures on the riverbank, in other words, human activities. However, we are surprisingly insensitive in terms of the visual attention and perception, to such subtle changes.

In the course of my research, conducted in parallel with the fixed-point observation of the Sumida River, I encountered a set of three Ukiyo-e prints by Hiroshige Utagawa. Hiroshige’s depiction of the river did not resemble its view of today, but I came to realize that the course of the river depicted in those prints looked exactly like the point I had been facing at that time. Luckily, I was able to confirm this coincidence from the nearby toponyms, shrines, and temples shown in the Ukiyo-e. The contrast between the subtle changes I found in my daily observations and the Ukiyo-e drawn 178 years ago reminded me of the “Systematic age” proposed by art historian George Kubler, which was the beginning of my tracing of the history of the Sumida River.

“Systematic age” is a standard of duration that is opposed to “Absolute age,” the time axis we use in our daily lives, according to Kubler. He explains that all things have a unique time axis of Systematic age. They have characteristics attributed to their Systematic age, and are recognized as a complex entity with the characteristics and appearance of the time in which they existed. He argues that time has characteristics such as plurality and asynchrony, which you may not be able to fully explain by a conventional, standardized historical perspective based on Absolute age. The same applies to a city. A city is a complex entity enfolding various Systematic ages, and based on Kubler’s theory, you recognize its history as a compound of Systematic ages.

Tokyo has transformed itself into one of the world’s largest cities in a short period of about 400 years, yet the city, lacking its historical memories, has still been changing at a considerable speed. The Sumida River, one of the most important and iconic features of the capital city, has been witnessing a drastic historical transformation of where once called Edo, then Tokyo now. In this project, I compressed the elements such as the contrast between the complete transformation (views over the riverbank) and the unchangingness (the course of its flow) over the last 200 years, the subtle changes I saw in over the seasons, and the various episodes about the river, into one object. In doing so, I tried bringing Systematic age of the Sumida River to light, to recognize it as a living witness of Tokyo.

October 2021
Kazuya Urakawa

“The Sumida River Almanac” artist book by Kazuya Urakawa
This will be a set of two photobooks.
22,000 JPY
Language: Japanese and English

1. The Sumida River Almanac
Size: 120㎜×210㎜
Page: 786 pages

2. The Sumida River Almanac：Draft
Size: 329㎜×241㎜
Page: 112 pages

55 editions only (all made to order)
Each edition will be signed and give the edition number by the artist
***The photo/image on the cover is different for all 55 copies. You will not be able to choose the cover image, so please look forward to it until you receive it.
Photographs, text, printing, and book binding by Kazuya Urakawa
English Proofreading by Machiko Tanaka
The editing and art direction of this book was developed in collaboration with Yumi Goto, Reminders Photography Stronghold.

“The Sumida River Almanac” artist book by Kazuya Urakawa This will be a set of two photobooks.

~~◎Limited offer only available to the duration of the exhibition: a sets of two photobooks + 1 print set~~
~~Price: 27,500 yen (tax included, please see here for additional shipping charges)~~
~~Prints will be prepared according to your request. Please let us know the number on the form when you place your order.~~
~~Please click here to see the catalog of images.~~
~~No backing or framing is available.~~
~~Size: 200 x 200mm~~
~~Specifications: Archival pigment print, editions will be assigned in the order in which they are sold during the exhibition. Signed.~~