Datsuzoku

"Datsuzoku" a selection of photographs by Rachel Blaser, will be featured in the Garden. These images are inteded to be a reflection of Japanese aesthetics, with a focus on the interplay of familiality and strangeness in the perception of an outsider.

"In this collection of photographs, I have attempted to represent my perception of Japan; sometimes with the awe of a stranger in an exotic land, and sometimes with the familiarity of a childhood memory. Photography may be a uniquely suitable medium for representing memories – there’s an immediacy to photographs that is tangible to viewers, who are accustomed to re-living the past, or sharing vicarious experiences, through photos.  Still, a camera is no more perfect a tool than a paintbrush or a stylus – each can only approximate some element of our perception.  Most often, a photo says too much. It tells too complete a story, when the mind of an observer provides a rich context that responds well to suggestion, and is disappointed by explicit revelation. Like our memories, some of these pictures are crystal clear, but others are vague, inaccurate, and subjective, inviting interpretation.
 
The title of the collection, Datsuzoku, refers to my attempt to escape the mundane details of a complete story; to present familiar scenes from an unconventional perspective, and to approach new ones with wonder and surprise. Insofar as I am successful, it is thanks to the great kindness of the Satou family (as well as countless other friends, teachers, and family), who helped to show me what it meant to be home in Japan."      - Rachel Blaser -