想像sOUZOU: Unfoldng visions

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U n f O l d i n g v i s i O n s

sOUZOUP h o t o g r a P h s b y

l e w i s w i l k i n s o n

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Lewis Wi lk inson www.UponRef lect ion .com© 2009 by LeWis WiLkinson

noTiCe oF RiGHTs All rights reserved. no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, Lewis Wilkinson. For information on getting permission for reprints or excerpts please email lewiswilk@uponreflection.com

LoC #: not yet assigned for book but all images are registered with the Copyright office of the LoC.

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Chapter one

願望

dE s i R E

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Chapter Two

瞑想

M e d i tat i o n

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Chapter Three

菩提

E n l i g h t e n m e n t

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CritiCal essay by bryan barCena lewis wilkinson “soUZoU: Unfolding Visions”

elevating the commonplace, making sacred the dull and f inding the sublime in the tr ivial . throughout much of the twentieth century abstraction has served to re-contextualize and re-appropriate the elements of modern l i fe into their most bare and recognizable forms. artists continually al ienate the banal from its quotidian confines and l iberate i ts abil i ty to focus perception inward. abstraction in photography however, has posed much more of a challenge and brought to l ight dilemmas concerning the l imits of subjectivity and art ist ic aura. How could abstraction exist within a medium whose inherent purpose was to capture the world as i t was and exist unfi l tered through the eyes of percep-tion? the genre of abstract photography possesses an uncanny abil i ty to surprise and delight i ts audience. i t enjoys a capacity to pair down the complexity of our visual vocabulary into indist inguishable elements that are in-fact ground-ed in the reali ty of their mere existence. abstract photography is truly a genre of exploration, and the exploration of not only the world at large but the re-combination of the elements therein are the keys to i ts success. abstract photog-raphy is indeed an exploration of depth, form, luminosity and color, bringing forth expressions that are told without narrative but rather through subtle gestures of these elements.

the photography of lewis wilkinson is one that exhibits a true sense of exploration and a keen abil i ty to capture his discoveries through the camera lens. within the photographs of the art ist ’s Souzou series a viewer can discover a world of possibil i t ies , a constantly evolving landscape that offers both depth and subtlety. the potential for explo-ration within the Souzou series owes much to i ts chosen medium, Miso soup. this most unconventional medium at f irst glance might seems to offer l i t t le space for abstract expression but i t is with this staple of Japanese cuisine that wilkinson has been able to elevate simple forms into something sublime. what wilkinson was able to see in this hum-ble medium was an infinity of opportunit ies and possibil i t ies .

as l ight passed through the soup and is f i l tered by the cloudy substance new and excit ing forms take shape within the translucent mire. the photographer becomes a mere spectator to the events that are put into motion by the heat of the

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soup itself and must wait for the elements to dance their way into pleasing formations. the arrangement and re-arrangement of the ingredients is left to chance, what occurs within the frame is dictated by physics and luck and not by the hand of the photographer. i t is wilkinson’s endeavor to be an observer of the sequence of events taking place in the bowl, wait ing patiently for the elements to come into place and cl icking the shutter to capture f leet-ing moments where the forms and colors arrange themselves to create something magical .

what is documented in the Souzou photographs are scenes of subtle beauty. within what seems l ike a primordial ooze teeming with l i fe the shapes and colors soft ly f i l ter the l ight producing a subtle palette of earth tones and soft shapes, waves of color interrupted by the si lk l ike texture of seaweed and cubes of tofu. the medium itself has an abil i ty to defy i ts own essence, the array of colors and densit ies that can be extracted from a paste that is essential ly a f lavoring agent is astounding and by altering the angle of the l ighting or simply st irring the ingredi-ents of the bowl the scene is transformed as the elements take on new shapes and arrangements bringing a sense of dynamism, l ight and energy to the mix. as the seaweed, tofu and other ingredients pass through the l ight they evoke a sense of mystery as the close perspective and lack of visibi l i ty distorts our perception of orientation. the elements seem to waft in and out without gravity, captured as i f wandering through a dense fog, the viewer is pulled into a world where one is f loating freely in space. at t imes the scene can be sparse, devoid of any kind of narrative or suggestion of f iguration, a tranquil almost unworldly place or void where l ight becomes the over-powering element.

other t imes the scene is brist l ing with l i fe , seaweed gardens punctuated by the occasional f lower petal or bubble as l ight attempts to break through the surface. within some of the photographs the elements have arranged them-selves in such a way that the f igurative elements are undeniable; a ruby red landscape is created as a bubble r ises above the delicate layers of seaweed, invoking a dusky sunset . the play between l ight and dark seems to set the ingredients upon a stage where their posit ion informs their appearance, a tofu pressed up to the glass becomes a f lat black cube as shadows form within the recesses of the seaweed; the sett ing recall ing a prehistoric underwa-ter landscape swarming with exotic l i fe-forms exist ing together within fert i le waters. one of the most interesting aspects of these photographs is that although they are divorced from a great degree of narrative or subject they

st i l l possess a sense of quiet repose that is very similar to the kind of contemplative and thoughtful work that is commonplace within contemporary asian photography and indeed many of the arts of the far east . one might even go as far as to say that some of the photographs resembling the understated landscapes recall the tradit ional woodblock prints of feudal Japan. adding to this sentiment is the process by which they are made, bringing to mind a kind of contemplative state where the camera must wait patiently for the elements to come as the laws ofthe universe bring them into place.

the scene that is captured by the camera is an invit ing one, i t asks for a sort of Zen approach, a cool and medita-t ive pause to reconsider what we are viewing. there is a sort of introspection to be addressed within wilkinson’s

photography; i t seeks to transport us outside of ourselves and into the world that is created within the bowl. by going micro, wilkinson quiets our mind, and shares visual metaphors to remind us of the larger mysterious natural world we inhabit . Souzou does not present i tself as a statement that must be grasped and understood but rather an open-ended question that beckons the viewer to contemplate the possibil i t ies in i ts basic forms and del-icate textures. the elements work alongside the technical skil l and photographic abil i ty in offering the audience a r ich and profound world of quiet beauty and delicate stories. the Souzou envelops the viewer, pushing away the world around and invit ing you into i ts abstract murky broth in order to reach a place of contemplative splendor.

bryan barcena is an independent art cri t ic , writer and curator based in Miami, fl . He is also the Managing director of lyle

o. reitzel gallery Miami and the assistant editor for artPulse Magazine.

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Art ist Statement

This ser ies began by acc ident. L ike most acc idents, i t occurred within f ive mi les f rom home. Prel iminary ideas surfaced whi le meditat ing on a bowl of miso soup at my local sushi restaurant. The soup was trans -formed into an opaque lake with f loat ing bits of green, i s lands perhaps. As I watched, c louds gradual ly began to form within the lake. Was I see -ing c louds within the lake or was I seeing the ref lect ion of some myster i -ous sky? I began to imagine dr i f t ing through the c lear l iquid and soar ing around the evolv ing shapes. I imagined what the images would look l ike i f I had my camera – shoot ing images of the c louds. I imagined a sunset and sunr ise in miso soup. I wondered, “Should I be soar ing or snorkel ing?” As I began to imag -ine myself snorkel ing, I was overcome with feel ings of being on an Al ice in Wonder land- l ike journey. I found myself pass ing through kelp forests and whir lpools and backl i t tunnels . Dif ferent wor lds were appear ing and vanish -ing within minutes. The poss ib i l i t ies seem never ending. This was too much to ignore.

Back in the studio an even longer journey commenced as I began to photograph miso soup. I searched and discovered ways to capture what my mind’s eye has seen in the restaurant. I use d i f ferent vessels to hold the soup. I t ry d i f ferent l ights. I t ry st i r r ing the soup. I wait . I b low bubbles. I shoot fast ; I shoot s low. The f i rst images arr ived when I was try ing to con -struct an image . . . and then not construct ing i t , not control l ing. A v is ion quest had begun.

I love seeing something new in the seemingly mundane. The forms, landscapes, angles, and fo lds found in many everyday objects holds great mystery for me.

Lewis Wi lk inson

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titlesChapter 1 desire 願望

6-7 landing 到着

8 Earthen 地

9 King 王

11 lily 百合

10 love 恋愛

13 venus 金星

15 CAvERn 洞穴

14 glOW 火花

16 dEPARTURE 出発

17 REBiRTH 再生

Chapter 2 Meditation 瞑想

18-19 Creation 創造

23 lABYRinTH 迷路

21 Oculus 隻眼

25 Mars 火星

29 storm 嵐

27 Altar 祭壇

31 vortex 渦動

Chapter three enlightement 菩提

32-33. Angel 天使

35 Blessing 恩恵

37 Explosion 爆発

39 nebula 青雲

41 Portrait 肖像

42-43 life 生命

44-45 exile 追放

47 sanctuary 聖地

intro 序言

4 launch 着手

5 Tentacle 触手tv

Critical Essay 評論

48 nebula 青雲

Aknowledgements 礼状

56 CHERRY BlOssOOM 桜

Artist sTatement アーティストの言説

52 Altar 祭壇

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special thanks to the following individuals who helped with this book and project:

TeD MyeRs: TranslationTed Myers was raised in Miami, where he grew up speaking both english and spanish. He holds a b.A. in Philosophy and Psychology from boston University, including study abroad in Madrid; and an M.ed. in international education from Harvard University. He has studied spanish, italian Portuguese and Japanese, and lived in Japan for six years. He has applied his language skills in the coordination of international projects in technology development and science education.

Paula Gillen: Layout, design, photo editorwww.gillenedits.com