Seen: 桃園川緑道Momozono-gawa Ryoku-dou
Who: Yoshihito Muta
Where: 3rd District Gallery, Shinjuku
When: June 2 - 14, 2015 / 1pm - 8pm daily
The subject of Muta’s recent exhibition is the 桃園川緑道 (Momozono-gawa Ryoku-dou) a path above a reclaimed sewage ditch in Suginami-ku which was redeveloped into a 2.3km strolling walkway through the late 1980′s / early 1990′s. Muta’s photos, rendered immaculately through a 4x5 camera on Kodak T-max 400 film, were shot in 2003.
While comparisons to Ruscha might be a possible path for discussion, Muta’s work is less explicit or thorough. Continuity of the landscape is certainly suggested but never totally laid out from one end to the other. Google Streetview would be the other obvious and more contemporary comparison- but unlike a GPS-coordinated drone-like lens drug through the streets by means of a disinterested / sub-contracted Google driver, Muta’s pictures visually demonstrate whims as an individual human being with an interest in a place rather than data collection of places. (And for what it’s worth, It looks like Google hasn’t gotten down this very path yet.)
Several pairs of slightly off-matched diptychs dot the flow of the series- the centerpiece in particular is marvelous in person.
More on Muta’s previous work can be seen on Tokyo Camera Style here.