SOLD OUT! Kanta Nomura’s photobook “The Yoshida Dormitory Students’ History” CESURA edition and Facsimile edition of the dummy book

05/02/2023

THIS BOOK IS NOW SOLD OUT!

We are pleased to announce that Kanta Nomura’s photobook “The Yoshida Dormitory Students’ History” CESURA edition and Facsimile edition of the dummy book are now on sale!. Nomura participated in the “ATLAS LAB” workshop held at RPS in 2018, where he worked on the history of Yoshida Dormitory, the oldest student dormitory in Japan, and published his artist book “The Yoshida Dormitory Students’ History” in 2020. The work was subsequently shortlisted for the Kassel Dummy Book Award (Germany) and the Paris Photo-Aperture Foundation Photobook Awards (Paris and New York), and received the Andy Rocchelli Grant (Italy).

This award is promoted by CESURA in honor of Andy Rocchelli, a photojournalist who was killed in Ukraine. CESURA was founded by Alex Majoli together with Andy and others. As a result of this grant, The Yoshida Dormitory Students’ History” was published by CESURA PUBLISH.

We are now offering both the CESURA PUBLISH edition and a facsimile edition of the dummy book, which was handmade (from printing to binding) by Nomura. The dummy book, which is the predecessor of the artist’s book that was once produced but is no longer available for sale, contains a wealth of unpublished images.

Kanta Nomura’s photobook “The Yoshida Dormitory Students’ History” CESURA edition
Due to the limited number of copies, the sale will end as soon as they are gone.
With a printing sheet brought back from an Italian printing press, signed.
All signed
Language : English and Japanese bilingual
Published by CESURA edition

Kanta Nomura’s photobook “The Yoshida Dormitory Students’ History” CESURA edition + Facsimile edition of the dummy
This set includes the CESURA PUBLISH edition and a facsimile edition of the dummybook hand-made by Nomura. The dummy book, which is the predecessor of the artist’s book that was produced in the past but is no longer available for sale, will be produced only during the period when the CESURA PUBLISH edition is available. Please note that you may have to wait 1-2 months for the production. Please understand this in advance. *Please note that we do not sell only a facsimile edition of the dummy.

This is the story of the Yoshida Dormitory, the oldest student dormitory in Japan.

The Kyoto Imperial University dormitory, the predecessor of the Yoshida Dormitory, was established in 1897, more than 100 years ago. The Yoshida Dormitory is a self-governing dormitory that has been run by students themselves for a long time. It was also a place where a lot of people from inside and outside of the university gathered for the performance of plays and music and fostered student culture.

In recent years, the university has demanded that all of its residents move out, citing dilapidated buildings and other reasons, and has been at odds with residents who want the dorm to survive. The divide between the two sides has not been bridged and in April 2019, the university filed a lawsuit against the student residents who were seeking to remain in the building.

It has been about ten years since I started taking pictures of the Yoshida Dormitory, where the future is uncertain.

The first time I visited Yoshida Dormitory, I stepped through the front door of the abandoned house and saw sandals, dirty bedding, spice and liquor bottles with their mouths open in gloom. In addition to the body odors like oil and sweat, there was also a certain peculiar smell, such as time-lapsed food, cigarette butts, and dampness soaked into the floor and tatami mats. Everywhere in the building, there is an unmistakable smell of many different types of grime that have been accumulated by the students over the generations. Each time I visited, they became a sign and became more dense and felt, and I was strongly attracted to the energy that the sign gave off.

The smell also brought back vivid memories of my own student life. At the same time, I was envious of the passions that I never had when I was a student, and I felt that I had not fully burned out my time as a student… It may have been a decade of traveling through their memories based on their scents and reliving their student life at the same time.

One hundred years have passed since the Yoshida Dormitory was built, and there are traces and memories left behind by the countless students who gathered here and passed by. It was richly fermented and still has a strong lingering aroma.

Kanta Nomura
English proof: Megan Saltzman, Jinhwa Chang

~~We will ship your order as soon as we receive confirmation of your payment via Paypal.~~
~~Please allow 1 to 2 months for the production period. Thank you in advance for your understanding.~~

~~There are some countries where Japan Post is delaying shipping due to the new coronavirus.~~
~~Please check this list before placing your order, as your shipment will be delayed if the country you are shipping to is on the list.~~
~~International mail service availability chart~~

~~Please note that the situation is changing day by day, and even if a country is not on the list, your order may be placed on hold.~~
~~However, we will always secure the books you order and ship them out as soon as they are available.~~
~~Also, for orders of two or more books, please email us at photobook@reminders-project.org.~~

~~Shipping costs vary depending on the shipping location due to postal conditions. Please be sure to check your paypal options before checking out.~~