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Personal statement by the photographer Chieko SHIRAISHI
"While travelling through the wilderness in Dōtō, I encountered a herd of deer crossing the frozen lake in a row, silently. While gazing at the herd, I found a providential, beautiful law of nature, and I felt as though I had witnessed something sacred which is a part of nature. The wilderness of Dōtō provides a feeling of oneness with the majestic natural world that I had never before experienced." (© Chieko SHIRAISHI)
Background information
"The long awaited new work by Chieko SHIRAISHI, 'Shikawatari' ('Deer Crossing), has been released as a photo book five years after her volume 'Shimakage'. In this black-and-white work, she presents a series of poetic images taken in wintry Dōtō in Eastern Hokkaido.
Content
The central themein the photo volume 'Shikawatari', photographed by Chieko SHIRAISHI in black-and-white, is a herd of deer that she encountered while travelling; the shy animals wander the snowy landscapes, across frozen lakes and barren forests. The photographer kept her distance to the animals. In some photographs, they let her come near, but they always keep a watchful eye on her. She encounters other animals as well – large birds, foxes – and wide, clear landscape shots give us a sense of the surroundings. The series masterfully creates a sense of wonder, as if one is at the doors to a world of magic realism, as if the deer have decided to permit us access to an otherwise secret part of the natural world." (© Sokuy-sha, 202)