Current
Video Exhibition of Akira Ibi / Tani +1。/ Keren Zhao / Kentaro Fukuda The Flow of Time and the Wind
- Dates
- Friday, November 4 - Thursday, November 17, 202211:00～18:00
Preview
Akira Ibi
Preview
Tani +1
Preview
Keren Zhao
Akira Ibi Profile
Lives in Sapporo City. Got seriously into movie production as a content creator 7 years ago. Enjoys making realistic immersive visuals of interesting scenes in Hokkaido in 4K HDR.
The Healing Effect of Hokkaido
I have long wanted to use film to express the “passage of time” because still shots alone don't do the trick. I also -- since “photo exhibitions” have till now been the primary means for expressing the great outdoors of Hokkaido -- would like to explore the roles that exhibitions play and the power of expression they wield through film going forward. This obviously would require “high picture quality and big screens”, but those hurdles have been cleared today, which is what makes this exhibition so important and got me interested in showing.
The footage I have planned for this exhibition includes landscapes of “diamond dust and sun pillars in the frigid air”, “fresh green verdure and the crystal clear Kaminokoike Pond”, “swarms of fireflies above a stream at nightfall” and “Blue Pond lit up”, interspersed with images of “a family of black woodpeckers, baby Ural owls, cherry salmon jumping, flocks of greater white-fronted geese and other varieties of wildlife found in Hokkaido”. (Duration: About 18 min)
Like “Impressionism” was to the world of art, my film can be considered “impressionistic” in terms of style. I have kept things real by trying not to fiddle with the “natural lighting” so that the viewer becomes immersed in the visuals.
I am using the latest technology to visualize the reality of Hokkaido on the pretext of “experiencing the great outdoors from Ginza”. My hope is that you discover the rewards of seeing “wild animals at arm's length away” and “magnificent landscapes”, and feel the healing effect that can have.
Tani +1 Profile
Born in Tokyo on April 2, 1981.
Purchased an AR Drone 2.0 made by Parrot in 2014 and incorporated into his work. That same year, relocated to Los Angeles for martial arts training where, to hone his operating skills, he entertained local onlookers with street performances employing the drone. After uploading his marshmallow catching act with the drone to a video site, was contacted by Parrot and is now officially sponsored by Parrot.
Has performed his act on TV multiple times. Besides doing performances and aerial photography with his drones, competes in FPV drone races. Currently owns several drones.
His work with drones led him to learn about drones and improve his operating skills. This also helped him to improve his aerial photography work, which landed him photography jobs with TV stations, etc. Wanting to apply these skills, purchased an Airpeak S1 by Sony and began taking aerial shots with it and an FX3.
Mountains, Rivers and Seas + 1
I took footage of mountains, rivers and seas from a drone to share an aerial perspective with everyone.
Mountains + 1: Japan's one and only Mt. Fuji
Rivers + 1: Kawazu cherry blossoms along a river
Seas + 1: Whales swimming gracefully in the open sea
The “+ 1” is the captivating experience I hope you get from these aerial images.
Keren Zhao Profile
I came to Japan for work in 2006. I am an IT engineer. I became interested in Japanese culture after living here for a while. I like to travel and make movies, so I carry a camera with me wherever I go. I have been to all but a few of Japan’s 47 prefectures and have loads of photos and footage of many beautiful places. I want to continue to hone my photographic and cinematographic skills and capture the beauty of this planet. Wish me luck.
The Four Seasons
I like to travel, so when the weekend comes around, I'm always off somewhere. I started filming my travels, the things I saw or did, as a way of recording my life experiences. In Japan, landscapes and events differ greatly by the season. This movie was put together from footage I took over the course of a year on various trips between last autumn and this past spring. What I saw and experienced was simply amazing - springtime blossoms, summertime fireworks, autumnal foliage, winter at the hot springs and so much more. I am happy to share Japan's cultural heritage with people of the world through some of its most representative landscapes and activities.
Kentaro Fukuda Profile
Born in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture in 1973. Has been drawn to the great outdoors, landscapes, and local people and their ways since he was a child. Got into photography when he was 18 years old. Worked first as an assistant to Toshinobu Takeuchi before setting out on his own in 1997. While canvassing the Japanese islands, has focused his eyes on things that are teeming with life. Has authored numerous photobooks and publications amongst which “Izumi no Mori” and “Harukoishi - Sakura Meguru Tabi”. Has been showing his work every year since 2010 at exhibitions all across Japan.
Exhibitions
- 2021
- “Seiseiryuten”, TA Gallery, Toshinobu Takeuchi Museum
- 2020
- “Shijisansan”, Sony Store Gallery, Sapporo/Nagoya/Osaka
- 2019
- “Izumi no Mori”, Nine Gallery
- 2019
- “Heisei Sakura Fukushima”, Olympus Gallery Tokyo
- 2018
- “Hoko”, ɑ Plaza Sapporo and elsewhere
- 2017
- “Ruten”, ɑ Plaza Nagoya
- 2016
- Fivegraphy: “Sign”, Eggs Tokyo Ginza
- 2015
- “Harukoishi – Sakura Meguru Tabi”, Sony Imaging Gallery Ginza
- 2014
- “Izumi no Mori”, Art Gallery Jaddo, Kumamoto
- 2014
- “Zen”, Art Space Marunouchi, Kaiseido Photo Salon
- 2014
- “Izumi no Mori”, Gallery Okita, Kagawa
- 2013
- “Nature Photo Aid 2013”, Fuji Photo Gallery Shinjuku
- 2013
- “Izumi no Mori”, Fujifilm Photo Salon Nagoya
- 2013
- “Izumi no Mori”, Fujifilm Photo Salon Osaka
- 2013
- “Nature Photo Aid 2013”, Fukuoka Camera Museum
- 2012
- “Izumi no Mori”, Photo Gallery Kitamura
- 2012
- “Kwenda 2”, Kwenda Yamate 111 Bankan, Yokohama
- 2012
- “Izumi no Mori”, Fujifilm Photo Salon Tokyo
- 2012
- “Nature Photo Aid 2012”, Space Nio, Nikkei Bldg.
- 2011
- “Tabi Suru, Rokunana”, Fujfilm Square
- 2011
- “Izumi no Mori”, Kaiseido Photo Salon
Feel Nature
As I slowly walk the great outdoors, I see so many things teeming with life. Every encounter with the sparkle of life brings me happiness and tells me why I am here.
The heartbeat of the earth, the changing seasons, natural phenomena, the flow of water, the workings of life …
When you look closely at this great big world of ours, it teaches you something -- what is really important.
Sony Imaging Gallery is hosting its second short film exhibition. It has been planned and organized as a group exhibition with a focus on landscapes, the changing seasons and wildlife, and is showing works by cinematographers Akira Ibi, Tani +1 and Keren Zhao, and guest landscape photographer Kentaro Fukuda.
Going way, way back, how many photographers do you think, when looking at a landscape, have pondered what it might be like if a photograph could move?
Waves crashing on the shore, pampas grass swaying in the wind, sunlight flickering as it filters through the trees, cherry petals fluttering from a tree, silent whirlpools in a spring …
Photographs do not move. But, many fabulous stills that beautifully describe “movements” in the natural world have been created because someone figured out how to capture a moment and append and overlay a drawn-out moment in a photograph and the photographers that followed wielded and added their magic.
Now, after decades of technological progress, we live in a day and age where anyone can shoot high-definition footage by simply selecting the movie mode on their camera. Does that not make you want to make “motion pictures” and immerse yourself in the world of cinema?